Unexpected
by dethangelx
Summary: Fifteen-year-olds thrown into early marriage.. Normal? Surely not. IchiRuki . R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**SO WE AMEND OUR ASSUMPTIONS**

* * *

"What?" 15-year old Rukia asked, staring horrifically at her brother.

Kuchiki Byakuya had a barely noticeable crease on his otherwise flawless brow.

"You have to marry the boy our grandfather chose for you, and it shall take place soon, within the month."

She bit her lip. Though she didn't really want to question her brother, she _had_ to ask. "Why?"

Byakuya looked at her for a moment before replying. "We have obligations to keep that we cannot neglect. As much as the…arrangement…bothers me, we have to respect our elders' wishes - our grandfather, especially. He only has a few months left to live.

She understood the urgency of the situation, but she couldn't help getting frustrated. She sucked in her breath, nodding her head in reluctant agreement. _Who? Who would she have to marry?_

_..._

"What?" Ichigo exclaimed, wiping off water that dribbled from his chin when he choked on it earlier.

His crazy dad, Kurosaki Isshin, had a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Oh! My son! You are so blessed to be married off to a girl from a family who practically has noble blood flowing in their veins! Such an honor bestowed upon this lowly servant!"

"But I'm only 15!" he screeched.

Isshin clicked his tongue at him. "My boy, even 15-year olds can do the role of a grown man! All you have to do is-" He suddenly yelled out.

Ichigo had his hand raised, ready to fire off another plate. "Cut the crap. Why do I have to marry the girl at my freaking age? First off, I don't even know her!"

Isshin rubbed his temple, feeling the slight bump. "Ah! You had to ask! Well, your grandpa and her granddad had an agreement-"

"AGES ago" Ichigo cut off.

"-and the other party had already given us notice that they wished to comply with it. Your grandpa's gone, but Kuchiki Kamiya is still alive, but barely. Byakuya-san wants to fulfill their end while Kamiya-dono is still well."

Ichigo had to shut his mouth at that. He was having a headache just thinking about having a relationship with a girl, and now he was about to get married! He sighed a few moments later as he realized that he had already unconsciously resigned himself to the matter. He may not look like it, but he had a deep sense of responsibility. He wasn't about to let some poor old man down just because he can't sacrifice a bit (well, okay, THE REST OF HIS LIFE).

In the corner, Isshin had to bite down a knowing grin.

_..._

"Onii-chan, good luck!" Yuzu whispered while holding up both hand in front of her as if in prayer. Karin had a smirk on her face as she grabbed her twin's arm and safely steered her away from his sight.

Ichigo sighed as he gazed off at his sisters' direction. Then, he glanced down at his watch. Damn, but that brat was making him wait.

He was at some classy-looking café that his soon-to-be brother-in-law picked, about to meet his future bride. He wasn't thrilled, but he had to admit, he was a bit curious. He was, after all, going to face the girl he had to spend the rest of his life with for the very first time.

_..._

"_Remember to be polite. I know that you both don't know each other, but a Kuchiki should hold the front when needed. And he is, after all, the boy you would soon call husband."_

_"Yes, nii-sama."_

Rukia sighed as she remembered her earlier conversation with Byakuya. She fidgeted once more with her dress and tried to look a little bit cheerful. Then, she took a deep breath and opened the glass door.

She easily spotted the bright orange hair. She inwardly cringed. Well, at least she'd be able to recognize him anywhere.

She strode silently to their table near the back (the café was really cozy and had a homey feel) and quickly seated herself across from him. He had been looking out at the window, so he didn't notice her arrival. She took that moment to fully study him. She had been given a picture of him a week ago when her brother brought all the nasty stuff up about marriage to her. She had raised a somewhat disdainful brow at his frowning expression, but now that she was facing him like this, she could see that he had thoughtful-looking eyes. Those warm, golden brown eyes glinted in the midday sun, and she could just imagine the world being reflected off of them.

Her eyes widened, and she shook herself mentally. What the hell was she thinking? She couldn't possibly be complimenting him now, could she?

_..._

Ichigo finally shook himself from his thoughts…and almost gulped. The seat that was empty just a moment ago now had a petite raven-haired girl occupying it. He almost didn't recognize his fiancée (for he thought of her as one, even though they weren't formally engaged). His picture of her showed a smiling girl of fifteen, holding a white stuffed bunny to her chest. It portrayed a childish girl, one sheltered from the harsh realities of life. It gave him the impression of a rich, spoiled brat.

But he knew now that this wasn't the case. He studied her face fully. She was silent and her face held no smile now. In fact, she looked like a porcelain doll – cold, and expressionless. Even now she bravely suffered his gaze on her, and he almost smiled at that. She must have sensed it, for she raised a delicate eyebrow at him. It made his attention rivet on her eyes, and he had to hold his breath and force himself to regain his usual frown at the sight of them. They were a curious shade of amethyst that reflected blue in some angles, and they were looking at him as if they could penetrate his soul.

He swallowed and gripped the fork he was holding idly earlier tighter in his hand.

"Kuchiki Rukia, right?" he asked, finally finding his voice.

She gave a cool smile. "Kurosaki Ichigo," she acknowledged.

"It must have been a shock for you," he awkwardly said.

"As if it wasn't for you, too" she retorted. "We don't even know each other."

He relaxed his grip and smirked. "Yeah, but we don't really have a choice. I don't want to upset an old – I mean, your grandfather's wish."

She turned her body slightly away from him, but kept her gaze locked on him. "Hmm… Aren't you a good boy?"

He frowned. "Oi. Was that a compliment or a snide remark?"

She couldn't wipe the small smile that crept on her face. "You decide which."

He rolled his eyes, smirking as he did.

Meanwhile, the Kurosaki family was enjoying the view, er, meeting between the two from a few feet away. While Ichigo had trained his gaze on their backs, they had rounded the corner and headed back to the café from the opposite direction. They had then entered from a side entrance and proceeded to their reserved table, which strategically made them inconspicuous.

Karin bored holes at the raven-haired girl. She was by no means a slut, but she wasn't really cold either. She decided that she still had to examine her longer before she could give a decent impression.

Yuzu and Isshin were of the same opinion. They liked the girl instantly and wanted the two of them to hit it off.

Outside, unnoticed by the other people in the café, a silver car was parked. A dark-haired man sat on the leather seat, diligently observing the encounter.

"I heard from my brother. Your mom died when you were younger?"

He glanced away. "Yeah," he answered softly.

She knew it must be a touchy subject, but she had to hear it from him. "It must have been tough. I never knew my parents, but I know I'd be hurt if something were to happen to them, were they alive."

He paused in raising his glass to his lips. "Oh, yeah… Dad did mention something about that. I'm sorry I forgot." His hand was clenched tightly on his thigh, but his face didn't show his tension.

"It's okay. We can't really change the past. Besides, we have no control of our fates."

He raised his eyes to hers. She had a sad smile on her face. They were silent for a while after that.

_..._

Ichigo had come up to his room that night, surprised that his family didn't ask him about his earlier meeting. He thought for sure they'd be digging into his case and beg for details the moment he turned the door knob.

Now, as he sat up and gazed at the night sky from the rooftop above his balcony, he found himself thinking about the events earlier.

_Kuchiki Rukia, huh?_

___..._  


"Rukia!"

She stopped and waited for her best friend to catch up to her. When he finally got to her side though, she started walking forward again.

"Where are you headed to?"

She almost didn't reply. "The principal's office. I still have to finalize some things."

Abarai Renji grabbed her arm. "So you're really going, huh? But, why so suddenly? I never even heard about this until yesterday!" His voice held a note of desperation in it.

She looked away. She couldn't bear to see him in the eye. Gently pulling her arm from his grasp, she murmured, "I'm sorry… but this is something that I must do. That's all I can say to you." With that, she gave him one last look before leaving him alone in the school hallway.

"Damn it, Rukia" he muttered, grounding his teeth together. "You're pulling farther away from me."

He punched the wall beside him, shaking a sign that hung directly above. "But I won't let you get away that easily this time…"


	2. Chapter 2

- Wow, didn't expect to be posting so soon… This is actually not my first Bleach fanfic, but I haven't gotten around to typing it up in my pc (I'm quite fond of writing, but sadly they remain unfinished stories in my old notebooks), so this particular fic would have to do… Thanks for those who cared to review! Hope this chapter is up to your expectations too…

- To star133: you're right… the age 15 IS ridiculously young… But I've seen this movie, and it says that in some Asian countries, it's allowed to marry at that age, provided they have parents' consent on both sides… And, don't worry… There's a reason why I made it that way (ridiculously young, I mean)…

- Scarlett Letter & Niham: thank you for pointing out my mistakes... I appreciate it! :D

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

* * *

**THESE SOLEMN VOWS WE MAKE**

* * *

The Kuchiki manor was uncharacteristically bursting with activities. It was really no wonder, as it rarely held such an important occasion such as today. Normally, the only sounds you'd hear are the opening of the huge front double doors and the scrape of western furnishings as the servants kept the ridiculously huge house in all its impressive glory. Even then, the sounds were muffled by the rich carpet, as if the dead Kuchiki ancestors would turn in their graves if a loud enough sound ever disturbed the dignified peace.

Perhaps now, those spirits were wildly protesting in their resting grounds.

As mentioned earlier, today was a special day. The kitchen staffs were systematically preparing, cooking and placing dishes of exquisite cuisine on the two long oak tables, buffet style. Meanwhile, the security staffs were making their rounds while a variety of classy cars silently cruised their way through the gate and round the driveway.

Kuchiki Byakuya parted the red velvet curtains in his study and settled back into his chair to observe the proceedings below. He adjusted his tie and fiddled with his lapel for a moment before he gave a barely audible sigh.

There was a bit of commotion downstairs, and he could easily pick out the cause. He took deep, calming breaths while he watched the obscenity, err, scene before him. The orange-haired boy was loudly arguing with his father over some matter he couldn't quite make out from the distance. He almost cringed. _Rukia – his beloved sister –_was going to marry this…_kid?_

...

Ichigo had a murderous look on his face. Not that it could be distinguished easily from his usual scowl. He kept recalling what his deranged father had _confided_ in him earlier that morning.

_"I know that you are inexperienced, but you must not let it show, son!"_

_He closed his eyes in frustration. "Gee, dad. Please. Just go ahead and shout it to the world what a virgin I am," he bit out sarcastically._

_Isshin had an unbelievably wide grin on his face. "Oh, but in just a few hours, you won't be!"_

_He snapped. He angled his arm a bit, and then hit his idiot of a father smack in the back of his head. "Shut up, idiot dad!"_

_Rivers of tears seemingly flowed from his eyes. "Oh, Masaki!" he cried out. (At this, he whipped out a good-sized poster of her suspended running form.) "Our son is finally about to join the land of adulthood! I pray that his bride would be satisfied and give us lots of little blessings!"_

_They were gaining disapproving glares from the rich people around them, and so Ichigo struggled with his temper and satisfied himself by pulling his tie off and wrapping it around his father's shameless mouth._

_That shut him up for about ten more seconds._

So now he found himself sitting stiffly on this small cushion seat in the middle of what he could only describe as the 'ceremony room'. In dark amusement, he thought that this _room_ could probably fit his entire house, including the clinic, in it and still have space to spare. _That was how filthy rich the Kuchikis were._

The room wasn't nearly filled, despite the fact that he'd seen a lot of cars parked on the grounds of the estate. The fifty or so people dressed in their formal attire, probably brought their own means of transportation without even coupling up or crowding a single vehicle. He glanced behind him at his own family. They had arrived in their old family van earlier, and though they were also dressed formally, one could easily point out that they were hugely out of place here. No matter, he thought. These rich bastards could whine and disapprove all they want, but they weren't the ones about to be married at 15.

He pulled back a sleeve and checked his watch. Damn. What's taking so long? He just wanted to get it done and over with.

Then, as if on cue, the huge double doors slid open, and a small procession found their way in.

Everyone in the room quieted down. Even Isshin seemed to understand that he had to behave for once.

Ichigo found his interest piqued, in spite of his earlier reluctance. Well, who could blame him? It wasn't everyday a man finds himself wedded, after all.

A man with long, white hair and a kindly, handsome face walked in first, wearing white robes with black petal-like patterns on it. He wore an elaborate headdress that Ichigo only saw on books, the type worn by emperors in the ancient days. He took his spot in front of Ichigo, and as his grey eyes met his amber ones, gave him a reassuring smile. He nodded, feeling himself relax for the first time that day.

He turned his attention back to the procession. Two elders walked in, one sporting a single eye-patch, the other leaning on a wooden staff. Okay, so the one with the staff was considerably older, he amended. He had a white beard that reached the floor, and he kept his white robe draped on his shoulders over his black sports coat. The eye-patch guy, on the other hand, had a quirky hair style, inky black in color and hardened to thick spikes on the ends. He had on a neat-looking suit, surprisingly, despite his huge size.

Following closely behind the two was a bubbly-looking girl with pink hair that rivaled his orange top in brightness. Well, that was one fight he would gladly be defeated in, if he had any choice. The kid held a basket tucked under one arm, and she was jubilantly throwing pink petals every which way. One such petal flew in his direction, and he had to blow it off with a deep breath when it landed on his hair.

His gaze skipped through the line and found itself inexplicably drawn to his bride. Strains of soft music reached his ears, and he idly wondered where the musicians were hidden.

At first, he could only make out the white veil that hid her face. As she got closer, he started to notice the rest of her attire. She was also wearing a headpiece like the priest, but decidedly more feminine. It had those gold pins that protruded artfully around her head, holding the veil in place. She had on an expensive-looking white silk kimono, with a light blue obi and gold-embroidered patterns on the edges.

After what felt like an hour, she finally, slowly, took her place by his side, and sat elegantly on the cushion seat prepared for her. Her face was still quite hidden to him, so he had no choice but to stare at her for only a moment more before he finally turned his attention to the priest.

The ceremony lasted for about half an hour, and while he had done his best to answer as required (he had been given a sort of manual so that he could reply in an appropriate manner during the whole thing), he couldn't help but feel like an actor in a play. He didn't like that his own wedding felt so impersonal to him, so he decided to 'improvise' at the last part.

When the head of ceremonies asked for their final vows, instead of just following the script and answering directly, Ichigo turned towards his bride and took a deep breath. He could hear slight murmurs in the background, but he did not let it faze him.

He pulled at her hand, gently, so as to gain her attention. He could almost see her questioning gaze behind the veil. Before he lost his courage, he plunged on.

"Rukia", he began in a strong, clear voice, surprising even himself. Her name on his lips felt almost natural too him, and so he continued with the same calm that he didn't know he could still possess, given the circumstances. "I swear to protect you and your honor, to be your strength and your pillar, to hold you in high regard, and to stay faithful 'till the end of time." He held his breath for a moment, for as he uttered those words, he swore not only to her, but to his soul as well.

Silence. And then, as if the Hands of Time finally decided to move again, she bowed her head and gripped tighter on his hand. He felt himself breathe again.

Her head once more rose to face him, and with her other hand, she parted the veil. Her violet orbs met his, and for a moment he felt like a spirit, floating and pulled in by her stare.

"Ichigo", she said in a manner that echoed his earlier calm tone. "I vow to be the moon that reflects your rays to shine light when you find yourself shrouded in darkness, to be your roof and shelter from the storm, to be the ground that steadies you, and to be your voice of reason. I promise to support you and uphold these vows, for as long as the sun dawns and breaks in the sky."

He was speechless, and grateful that she followed his lead, so he no longer felt like a fool when he realized the weight of what he had done earlier. And as she uttered her vows, he felt an unfamiliar sensation settle in his heart.

Moments later, the priest struck a bell, and the ceremony was over.

He hesitated for a moment, before he gave a chaste peck on her right cheek. He couldn't quite look at her eyes for a while after that.

He was now officially a married man.

...

Byakuya was not an emotional person. Well, he kept his emotions in check and maintained his aloof exterior. But he was driven almost to the edge when the offensive boy veered from the traditional vows and began sprouting his own vows, and he was loath to admit that they _were_ quite agreeable words, even better than the original ones. Hell would freeze over before he'd ever admit it.

Luckily, his sister soon followed and committed the same transgression; as if by doing so, she had also expressed her protest. He almost wondered if they had planned it earlier. But it was impossible, he knew Rukia. And at that moment, he felt a certain pride that she had stood up to him, but still held him in respect by doing nothing more.

He just couldn't say the same thing for the boy. And if Kurosaki Ichigo were ever to break those vows he made to his sister, he'd soon find himself breaking certain parts of his body.

...

Isshin could feel tears start to form behind his eyes. He wasn't a complete fool as most people believed him to be. He actually had in him a very serious nature (yes, as hard as it may seem to believe).

The vows that his beloved son had spoken earlier reminded him of his own vows to Masaki once upon a time, and he was sure that his son meant every word of it. Now, he beheld his newly-acquired daughter, and he felt content. He saw her smile at his daughters, and he could tell that she was a good girl by the way she treated them. She was neither snotty nor elitist, even when she grew up in apparent wealth. Then, he saw his son, and even though his face was turned away, he noticed that his posture always bent slightly, barely noticeably even by Isshin, towards her.

Filled with such fatherly emotions, he hid them behind his usual idiotic mask. As he took picture after picture of the happy occasion, peace settled and took root in his heart.

_Yes,_he thought with a content sigh_, all was right in the world that day._

* * *

A/N: You might notice that this chapter hardly contains any dialogues, mostly musings/thoughts by some of the key figures in the story. This is intentional, as I wanted to emphasize the vows. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter, and look forward to the next one. I'm really doing my best here.


	3. Chapter 3

 I'm really grateful to the people who took the time to review. I think criticisms are fine especially when they help aspiring writers correct their mistakes. So for those who reviewed, and to those who will do so (hint, hint!), I give you my utmost gratitude…

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

--+--+--+--

**THE TRUTH WE MUST NOT DIVULGE**

--+--+--+--

Kurosaki Ichigo could hardly believe it. He was really married! He glanced at the simple gold ring he was wearing. If his friends were to know about this…

Wait. They can't know about this! While his friends _might _understand, the rest of the world would have a different opinion! He didn't even want to think about the gossips and commotion his marriage might produce. His hair was problem enough as it is; he _did not_ want more complications.

He glanced at the girl beside him. Now, if he could just persuade her to keep the whole thing quiet…

--+--+--+--

Kuchiki Rukia felt her facial muscles about to die on her. The reception was taking longer than anticipated, and while she appreciated (somewhat) the effort the well-wishers put up, she could no longer maintain the appearance of a smiling bride and host. Finally deciding that she had enough of it, she muttered an excuse, not really caring if anyone heard her. She made a discreet exit out the hall through the side exit, controlling the urge to run.

She managed to get out of the house uneventfully, and she stopped near the stone bench overlooking a koi pond to catch her breath. A lungful of air later, she collapsed on the seat, bracing both hands on either side.

She had always thought that the moon had a mysterious glow, as if it kept a secret nobody else knew. Tonight, no cloud obscured the full orb from casting a somber silver hue. As she continued to sit there, she felt herself relax and her mind to space out.

She must have been quite out of it because soon she found herself being shaken awake by a warm hand on her arm.

She blinked open her eyes, reorienting herself with her surroundings. Then she looked up, and found herself staring into the warm amber eyes of her husband. _Her husband…_

That's right. She got married today. How could she forget?

"You were gone for quite a while," he muttered, glancing away.

"Oh."

He remained standing for some time, then he suddenly plopped himself beside her. She quickly pulled her hands up and placed them on her lap. Then, she scooted away a little to give him more space.

The little rest she had must have relaxed her more than she thought, because she soon found herself humming a tune. Before she could even think about it, the words tumbled softly out of her mouth…

_Yuuzukiyo kaodasu kieteku kodomo no koe  
Tooku tooku kono sora no dokoka ni kimi wa irundarou  
Natsu no owari ni futari de nuke dashita kono kouen de mitsuketa  
Ano seiza nandaka oboeteru?_

_(English translation:_

_The moonlit evening shows its face  
And a child's voice is vanishing  
Far away, far away, I guess you're somewhere in this sky  
In the end of the Summer, we sneaked away to this park we had found  
Do you remember that constellation somehow?__)_

When she got to the last syllable of the first verse, she somehow came to her senses, and with a slight gasp, she glanced quickly at her companion, feeling a slight blush creep up her face. He was still looking out at the pond, but she could discern a slight upward tug beginning to form in the corner of his mouth.

She stood up abruptly and turned towards the manor. "I-I'm heading back," she stammered.

"Ah."

As she strode off at a quick pace, she heard the distinct sound of footsteps following close behind.

--+--+--+--

Kuchiki Byakuya glanced idly at the door and was about to sweep his gaze over the reception once more, when he mentally doubled back. His sister had just entered the hall, and entering with her was none other than the orange-haired youngster.

He had noticed her earlier disappearance, but he understood that she may want some time off from dealing with the guests. He knew she must be tired, so he let the matter go.

He tried to convince himself that it was nothing, but now he could not help but watch in apprehension as the scene unfolded before his eyes.

--+--+--+--

Kuchiki Byakuya was not the only one to notice them entering together. As the two of them took their respective seats at the table of honor, Kurosaki Isshin took that time to slip out. He purposefully headed to the other side of the room and stepped in front of the dark-haired young man.

Byakuya nodded at him. "What is it that you want?"

He grinned like an idiot to cover the slight nervousness that always crept up to him whenever he faced the young Kuchiki head. Isshin didn't consider his self a pushover; in fact, he was as stubborn and impervious as anyone could get. But he had long since admitted defeat in the face of _this _man. He was just too intimidating and imposing for the likes of him.

"Well, Byakuya-dono," he began, "about the matter we discussed last week, I-"

"What of it?"

"Well, I was hoping that you'd allow your sister to stay with us," he said in a rush.

Byakuya paused in the act of raising his glass.

Seeing this, he continued in a coaxing voice, "The necessary procedures for her school transfer are already arranged and set, and it's really not practical for her to travel back and forth at such a distance. I know that you wish for her to continue living under your wing for some years more, but it will also be good to let the kids spend the time to learn more about each other."

At this, he saw him stiffen, and he wondered if he shouldn't have mentioned the last part.

"They could…interact…all they want in the domain of the school."

"But they'd be busy with school matters in that time," he pointed out.

Silence. Then, for what seemed like an hour, he answered, "I see your argument. Very well then. I allow her to be accommodated at your house. It might be a good experience for her." He heard a barely audible sigh escape from his lips.

Just as he was about to whoop his arm and run off in triumph, Byakuya cleared his throat to gain his attention.

Feeling just a bit put down in his brief accomplishment, he obliged and faced the man once more, eyes questioning.

Byakuya (in a way only he could pull off) coldly glared at him. "But she has to stay with your other daughters. I will not have her share a room with your son just yet. They are too young." (He swore could almost hear the unspoken words, _and if I have my way, they will never have to._)

He fought down a pout that threatened to appear in his face.

"Furthermore," he continued, his tone regaining the absolute confidence he had at the beginning of their conversation, "she will occasionally return here for some weekends, or when an important family matter comes up."

He nodded, a little disappointed. Did he really win this round? He wasn't too sure. Still, he'll take what he can. With that, he made his way back to his table.

--+--+--+--

Rukia still felt a little flustered inside, but she hid it well by conversing with the twins. She really liked them, and they made her wish she could have spent more time with her own sister. There was Karin, who looked a bit intimidating with her scowl, but she saw that she was only trying to keep up her tough exterior. She also liked her mischievous side. And then there was Yuzu, a sweet and loveable kid.

After a while, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned her head reluctantly. "Yes?"

"Rukia," he began. She didn't question his use of her first name. She found the point useless, anyway. "About us…being married…" He had a decidedly uncomfortable look on him.

"You wish to keep the matter a secret, right?"

He looked a bit surprised. "Well, yeah… How the heck did you know?"

She snorted. "As if I'd want the whole world to know it, too. I don't even want to think too much about it."

He scowled. "Well who'd want to marry a midget like you, anyway?"

She felt her mouth open. She whirled around to face him. "Excuse me?! I think my height is of little importance when compared to your – your name!" With that, she crossed her arms and looked up innocently at the ceiling. "Strawberry," she muttered, making sure it was loud enough to reach his ears.

It did. She felt him push his chair back a little. "I'll have you know, my name means 'to protect'. Not some stupid fruit! Get it?!" His voice was unmistakably shaking now.

"Whatever. It still _sounds_ like a puny little girl's name to me."

He finally stood up. She saw him go around the table and plant his hands down in front of her. She felt her spine stiffen, and she had the urge to stand as well, to lessen the height difference. She wasn't intimidated. No, not at all.

"What part of me is _**puny?!**_" he growled in her face.

She muttered incoherently under her breath. He inched his face closer. "What did you say?" he gritted out. She quelled the urge to draw back. She will not let this…_buffoon_ get under her skin.

"Your brain!" she shouted. Fine, so he did.

They continued to glare daggers at each other, when they heard a cough distinctly getting louder. "What?!" they shouted in unison, both turning their heads at the same time.

The priest that headed their ceremony was standing two feet away from their table, smiling awkwardly at them.

They finally realized where they were, and they both sported a reddish hue on their faces. They still refused to look at each other, though.

The priest cleared his throat once more and stepped a little closer. "I just wanted to, um, _congratulate_ you two on your union. I wish the best of luck and happier times in the future to both of you." He laughed a little sheepishly, as he held out his hand in front of him.

Rukia felt her features softening. "Thank you for taking the time to preside at the ceremony and join us here for the reception, Ukitake-sensei." She took his hand in both of hers in earnest. "I know you are a busy man."

The white-haired man gave her a soft smile. "Anything for my favorite pupil" he murmured. Then, he turned to the bridegroom. "Young man, take care of Rukia-san."

She slid a sideways look at him.

He also had a serious expression, and she felt her breath catch in her throat. "Ah."

Ukitake tapped his hand on the younger man's shoulder and looked over at them both for one last time before he turned and walked back to his seat.

--+--+--+--

Later that evening, when most of the guests have gone home, Ichigo found himself being dragged towards a corner by Isshin.

He took off his dark outer suit, and proceeded to unfasten the top three buttons. "What is it?"

"I'm really happy you went through the whole marriage thing," his father said in a serious tone.

He turned a little towards him, not quite believing that he was really having a serious conversation with his father after all those years of nonsensical fights and idiotic bickering. "Umm…"

Isshin looked at his son properly in the eyes for the first time that day (for the first time in a long while, really). "I'm really proud of how you handled things today. I'm sure your mother's proud of you, too." Ichigo then found himself being swept into a hug. He patted his father hesitantly in the back. He really didn't know how to deal with _this _Isshin.

"Don't worry too much about it. We're all here for you. You can count on your family. I'm sure you can count on Rukia-chan, too. She is now part of our family."

"Ah," he answered softly, although he can't really be sure about the 'counting on his wife' part.

They stayed like that for a few seconds more before the awkwardness finally got to them. They separated in a hurry and Ichigo nervously trained his attention elsewhere.

"Ah! While we are on the subject of your cute and young wife," Isshin exclaimed in his usual loud and overly-exaggerated voice, "I spoke to her brother!" Ichigo flinched. _Huh. His dad's back to normal._ Can't say I missed it, he thought.

He suddenly grabbed his son by the neck in a chokehold. Then, he shouted in his ear, "She's going to be living with us starting next week!"

**"Argh!" **he yelled, trying to peel off his father's face from his ear. **"You don't have to shout in my ear, old man!"**

Finally, he succeeded. He backed a safe distance away from him. "Geez. I'm going to turn prematurely deaf one of these days," he muttered. He heard what his father said clearly though, and he felt uncharacteristically apprehensive about it. Shit. She's gonna be living in his house?!

He should have expected it. But he didn't think it'd happen _**this **_soon.

He only hoped she wouldn't run off in fright to her brother when she _really_ got to know his crazy family.

-

-

_to be continued..._

-

-

* * *

A/N: the song is by Otsuka Ai entitled, 'Planetarium'

-- if you've noticed, i'm experimenting on my writing style, so please bear with me... i'm still learning what i can... ;p


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

--+--+--+--

**A PLACE TO CALL HOME**

--+--+--+--

It started as a typical Sunday morning, and just as he thought it'd stay that way, the doorbell rang.

Ichigo looked up from his bowl of cereal and called out, "Yuzu, someone's at the door."

Yuzu popped her head from the kitchen. "Onii-chan, would you mind getting it yourself? I'm still busy preparing our food." Her head then abruptly vanished from his sight.

He grunted, but he was still getting up from his seat and proceeded to head for the front door.

"Yes, what," he greeted in a monotonous tone while simultaneously opening the door. "…do you want?" he finished lamely, feeling his eyes widening.

The raven-haired girl before him wore a sickeningly over-bright smile, and he swore there were sparkles (yes, **sparkles!**) flowing from somewhere to surround her face. "Good morning, Kurosaki-kun!" she greeted with an equally bright tone of voice.

"Who the heck are you?" he asked, the words popping out from his mouth before he could even properly think about it.

A tick appeared on her left brow, and before he knew what was happening, he felt the force of a tiny fist hitting his midsection. The pain sure didn't feel _tiny_.

"Ow, that hurt!"

"I'm sure you remember now," she said in a dead tone. She then proceeded to enter, dragging a black bag about half her size behind her.

He mentally shook himself and unceremoniously carried the bag out of her arms.

She looked strangely at him. "Thanks," she said, a little hesitant.

"Yeah, well, I just thought it'd look weird if a girl like you carried anything _almost _your size," he said, smirking.

She glared warningly at him, daring him to continue. He wasn't perturbed in the slightest.

"Ah!" he exclaimed, shifting the weight around his shoulders and looking at anywhere but the girl before him. "What if the neighbors saw you? They might think you were carrying something suspicious. I imagine, in the distance, all they could see is a figure carrying a huge black bag… huge enough to carry a body, perhaps?" He was grinning like a fool now. "_Oh, my! Someone, call the police! There's a person – no, a criminal! – carrying a corpse! And it's stuffed in a bag!"_ he cried, his voice an octave higher, a hand cupped around his mouth.

The weight was suddenly taken from his arms. He blinked in surprise. Then, he felt that _same weight_ hit him hard, and he suddenly found himself crumpled on the floor, a huge bag on top of him.

The little she-devil was crouching to his level, grinning like a mad man. "You better be grateful it's not your _body_ inside then, Kurosaki-kun!" she chirped.

By then, his family had arrived, drawn to the commotion.

Isshin perked up when he saw who had arrived. He comically ran (imagine him running, but in painfully slow motion) towards the person, taking her in a huge bear hug.

"**Rukia-chan! You've arrived!" **he exclaimed, said girl still in his arms.

He could see Rukia wriggling in his grasp, and he seriously began to worry if she could still breathe. He pushed himself up from his position on the floor and pulled his idiotic father off of the poor girl. Isshin struggled in his hold for a bit before his face turned up in a grin.

"Aw… Ichigo's concerned for my dear third daughter!" he gushed.

Ichigo closed his eyes shut, taking a deep calming breath. _Must not strangle dear father_, he said repeatedly in his mind.

"Karin, Yuzu, your brother's finally in love!"

His eyes flew open. _Screw calm._ **"What?!"** he shouted in his father's ear, tightening his grip almost to the point of straining his muscles in the effort.

"You…are…in denial…my son!" Isshin gasped out, hands clutching his arms, trying to pry them off.

Yuzu quickly rushed to their side. "Brother, calm down!" she pleaded, eyes going round.

"Listen…to…your sister, Ichigo…" At this point, Isshin was wheezing.

He suddenly felt a hard knock to the back of his head. "Ow!" he yelped, grip loosening. Isshin took advantage of this and quickly crawled off to safety. Yuzu patted his head weakly. "Are you okay, dad?" she asked in a meek voice.

Meanwhile, he had whirled around, looking for the perpetrator. He did not need to look far, for the midget was poised for another strike a mere foot away. He dodged, this time, and he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him.

"Whose side are you on, anyways?" he yelled in her face.

"Not yours, that's for sure!" she yelled back, pulling at her wrist. They were so close he could almost see the veins popping in aggravation on her forehead.

They heard a loud "Ew" sound and both of them turned towards it. Karin was smirking at them. "If you're going to grope around at each other, do it somewhere else."

They blinked, and then realized their awkward position. Ichigo was still clutching her wrist, but his other hand had settled at her waist (when the heck _did it get there?_) so that her body was almost crushed to his. His head was bent towards her, and Rukia had her face up, as if to meet his. Meanwhile, her other hand (the one that was not held securely in Ichigo's grasp) was tangled in his hair when it got caught in the act of pulling at it. If anyone disregarded their expressions and the angry sounds they made, they'd surely make another, more perverted, scene.

Needless to say, they both sprang apart from the other in an instant. While they reddened in embarrassment, Isshin hooted in the distance.

--+--+--+--

When everyone had somehow calmed down, Rukia found herself being led upstairs. Ichigo carried her bag like it was nothing, and she might have found that feat admirable, if circumstances had been different. Right now, it only irritated her.

He stopped abruptly near the foot of the stairs, and she gasped, clutching the railing for support.

"Idiot," she gritted out, "mind where you stop!" He turned to frown at her briefly, before opening the door in front of him.

He went inside, and she followed, making sure there was a good enough distance between them in case he decided to pull another abrupt halt, or worse, drop her bag on _her head_.

She saw the extra bed first, and she had to raise an eyebrow at that. It was made of metal, the kind you see in hospitals and clinics. And it was right smack in the middle of two other small beds, the normal kind. A note was taped at its foot, and she peered closer at it.

"For Rukia-chan," she read. She glanced wryly at her companion. "Wow," she drawled out, "way to show your welcome. I can see the _effort_ put into this."

"Sh-shut up!" he stammered, a blush across his face. "We're not filthy rich like you, and it's the best we can manage at such short notice."

She bit her lip, and turned her face away. She did not _mean _to imply that… She shook the thought away.

"I was just teasing," she hastily amended, taking the bag from him. She failed to notice the weird expression on his face when she said it.

She was only then taking in the entire room. It was smaller than what she was used to, sure, but it had a nice and comforting feel to it. She also just then noticed that it was unusually tidy, not a speck of dust on the window sill, and the pens, notes, and other school things were neatly tucked away. She regretted even more her earlier comment, and she resolved to contemplate on her words more before saying anything, at least in front of the twins.

Perhaps the orange-haired buffoon was not as unperceptive as she thought, for he was clearing his throat and muttering small talk with her about the weather and such, as if to ease her mind. She almost smiled gratefully at him. Almost - if he hadn't shot out his hand at that very moment to grab her bag. Since she was still holding it firmly (more like struggling with it, really) in her grasps, she got pulled along with it. Then, when he realized what he had done, he let go abruptly. Down fell her bag, and she along with it.

"Ouch!" she yelped, feeling her backside bounce once on the floor (like a freaking ball) from the impact. She pulled her hands from the grips of her bag to rub her aching back.

"Sorry," he muttered, before proceeding to (once again) grab her bag and place it on an open cabinet above her makeshift bed.

_Sorry, my ass._ She cringed mentally at the thought.

--+--+--+--

It was just noon, yet Ichigo could no longer count the number of times he got hit today. Sure, his days always started with a (not so) surprise attack from his stupid father, but now… this midget was quickly becoming his number one source of apprehension. Geez, it certainly put a new meaning to the words "size doesn't matter". Man, she sure had a mean right hook. Where'd she learn to hit like that? He thought she was just supposed to be some delicate, bratty princess!

_Speak of the devil. _She was…wait, was she skipping? Yes, she was! She had just finished changing into more comfortable clothes than what she was wearing earlier, and was now making her way to the dining room. The one-piece blue dress with small flowers dotting all over it reached just above her knees. He smirked. She really looked like a little kid.

She glanced at him, found him smirking, and her expression darkened considerably. She had stopped her skipping, and was now just calmly walking over to pour herself a drink from the pitcher on the counter.

He frowned. "Are you still angry about earlier?"

She glared up at him from the rim of her glass. _Oh._

He busied himself with his lunch, and he was on to his second helping when a question popped in his mind.

"Hey," he said, still chewing, "hawd oo het ere?"

She stared at him, one delicate eyebrow raised.

He swallowed, and then tried again, "I asked how you got here? I didn't see your brother when you arrived." He reached for a random fruit in the middle of the table. He looked at it briefly before munching on it.

"I took a bus," she answered casually.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "Wow, I'm surprised you know how. I was thinking _dear brother _would never consent to you commuting in public, without a chaperone even."

"I-I'm not a complete fool! I _know_ how to ride the bus, or any other mode of public transport for that matter, thank you very much!"

"Ah," he replied, his tone _clearly _saying he was unconvinced.

Crash! Ichigo's eyes widened. He glanced at his back at the glass that was now lying broken on the floor near him, before whirling back to the girl.

"Midget! What do you think you're doing? That was** dangerous**!" He was now standing, and yelling his chords out at the unrepentant devil before him. She even smirked!

She snorted in an unladylike manner, crossing her arms.

An idea formed in his head, and while he was hesitant to turn to such an unprincipled method, the smirk that refused to leave her face just made him lose all sense.

"Ah," he casually groaned out, slowly walking around the table towards her. She was looking cautiously at him, he noted. He glanced idly at the ceiling to avoid meeting her eyes. "To think you had to throw _that_ particular glass! It was a gift from my mother's parents at her wedding (as he said that, he felt a bitter taste burn in his throat, but _he couldn't stop now_). Yuzu's going to be _heartbroken_!" _**Take that, you devil!**_

He sneaked a glance at her from the corner of his eye. Her eyes were wide, and she was biting her lip as if to keep them from trembling. His own eyes widened. Whoa! Was she going to _cry? _She raised both hands to her face and turned away from him, her usual confident stance gone. _Oh, shit! Had he gone too far?_

He opened his mouth to say something, but the words just won't form.

He could hear muffled sniffs, and he glanced up in alarm at her. Oh, my gosh! She's really crying! Kurosaki Ichigo did _not_ deal with crying girls. Never!

He patted her trembling shoulder awkwardly. "Hey, I'm sorry," he murmured, hoping his voice sounded comforting enough. "I-I didn't mean what I said earlier. Yuzu _won't_ be that upset about it." Well, he was _pretty sure_ she won't.

From the corner of his eye, he saw her grip the pitcher of water tight in her hands. He frowned a little at that. Did she want another drink of water? He shrugged and was about to turn around to get her a new glass, when he _finally_ heard it. What he thought were sniffs were really muffled chuckles! And she wasn't trembling from _crying_… she was trembling _with laughter!_

His eyes widened in alarm, and a split second later, he felt the cold water hit him. Literally. And the little imp held the now empty pitcher high up in the air, triumphant smirk in place.

_That's it!_

He growled, and took a step menacingly at her. She laughingly dodged his reaching hands.

**"Midget!!! You are **_**so dead!**_**"**

In the living room, Karin and Yuzu eyed each other. "Not again," they both uttered in a similar dead tone.

--+--+--+--

The day passed in a similar manner. One of them somehow managed to aggravate the other, and the other would retaliate. The occupants of the house had already gotten used to it by the fourth bout.

Ichigo was lying in his bed, pillows propped under his back to keep him upright against the headboard. Dinner had proved to be disastrous, too.

_"Ichigo, you idiot! I was about to get that piece of meat!"_

_He rolled his eyes at her. "Get your own meat," he replied childishly. He was about to pop it into his mouth when a pair of chopsticks pulled the meat from his grasp._

_Groaning as his mouth ate air, he turned to glare at Rukia, who held the meat halfway up her mouth._

_He smirked, and then did the same to her. She snapped her gaze at him, and found _his _pair chopsticks on _her _piece of meat._

_"Let go," she gritted._

_"Hell no," was the quick and mulish reply._

_They continued their little tug-of-war with their chopsticks. Ichigo knew he was winning by the third pull. He smirked triumphantly at her. Giving a last tug, he freed the much abused meat from her (chopstick's) grasp. He was about to feed himself the much coveted prize, when the _she-devil­ ­_decided to do the unthinkable. __**Her dirty little mouth **_**chomped**_** on it.**_

_Thump. _Huh? What the heck happened?

_His brain somehow managed to reactivate. Unfortunately, it has just decided to process her uncomfortable proximity, and the fact that her mouth was still clamped to _**his** _chopsticks, all at once._

_He gave a small yelp, tugging in the process. Rukia released her hold on it, and just calmly leaned back in her chair, not realizing the weight of her actions._

_He was staring in horror at his chopsticks, and he hoped that his flustered state did not manifest itself on his expression. Unfortunately, luck didn't seem to be with him _**at all**_ today, and he could actually feel the heat rise up in his cheeks. He heard snickers in the background, but he was too afraid to look up just then._

He scowled at the recollection. Then, just as he finally decided to lower himself and get his much needed sleep, he heard a (by now) familiar voice cursing silently from somewhere in the hall.

He got up and opened his door.

Rukia stared at him, hand clutched at the throat of her shirt.

"Geez, Ichigo! You had me in quite a scare!" she reprimanded, but she kept her voice to a whisper.

"What are you doing?" he queried. Noting the white bunnies scattered all over her pajamas, he quirked an eyebrow at her. She had a dangerous gleam on her eyes, though, so he decided to keep it at that.

He glanced at his watch, before turning to her. "It's quite late," he commented.

She was not looking at him. "I-I usually tire myself to sleep by looking at the stars," she stammered out.

Huh?

The stars, she said.

_Okay…_

He sighed. "Come with me," he muttered, before turning back to his room. When he heard no footsteps following him, he glanced back at her. She was wringing the ends of her shirt.

"Are you… scared I'm going to do something?" he teased.

She gasped, and then she glared at him. But his teasing did the trick. She followed him bravely as he led the way over to his balcony.

She opened her mouth to say something, but he cut her off by gesturing with his hand.

She… _pouted_ a little, and he almost grinned at her expression.

He grabbed a steady hold on the rail, and pulled himself up. He quickly calculated, then nodded to himself.

He held out a hand towards her to help her up, but she ignored his hand. This time, he did not stop the grin from forming. _Stubborn midget…_

She made her way up on her own (the distance from the edge of the rail to the roof really wasn't that much, just a couple of feet or so), but he held an arm out, just in case.

A minute later, they were sitting on the roof in companionable silence, gazing up at the sky and the multitude of stars that twinkled at them.

And just as he thought they were going to spend the entire time there in silence, Rukia spoke up in a quiet voice.

"It's my first time…seeing the stars…with someone."

He studied her from the corner of his eye, but remained silent.

She didn't speak to him again after that first lone statement, so he decided to take the initiative, just to break the silence.

"So… how did you find my home?" he asked. He stared intently at one star, finding it weird how it could glow brighter than the rest.

He was expecting her to give a dry laugh, or give a sarcastic comeback, but her response was nowhere close.

"I adore your family. I'm almost envious."

He had to grip the side of the roof to keep his self from falling. He quickly turned to face her. "Come again?" he asked, finding her statement ludicrous. _Is she for real?_

She drew her knees up to her chin, wrapping her arms around her tiny self.

"Nii-sama… though I love and respect him, was almost never home. He _always_ had some business somewhere, and he'd come home late, or not at all. When I first arrived at the Kuchiki manor, I used to stay up and wait around for him. But after a while, I realized it was futile, and I gave up on waiting." Her tone of voice made him feel as if there was some _deeper _meaning hidden in her words, and as she continued on her musings, he could almost glimpse a lonely little girl in this _woman_ before him. He gripped the cloth of his sweatpants tight in his fists.

"The house was too big, too silent. And there may be a lot of people in it, but it was never..._alive_." She slowly turned her face to him, head still propped on her knee. "In the end, it was just a house. Not a _home_."

Then, she frowned a little, finally noticing his tensed state.

"Ichigo?" She had a questioning look on her face.

He forced himself to relax. He turned away from her searching gaze, taking a deep breath. In the sky, that lone bright star seemed to wink encouragingly at him.

"You don't have to wait anymore."

He paused, contemplating his words. Then, before he had a chance to question himself, he faced her and gave her a rare soft smile.

"Welcome home."

-

-

_to be continued..._

-

-


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

--+--+--+--

**A WHOLE NEW START**

--+--+--+--

Kurosaki Ichigo stared at his left hand. He had been doing so for most of the fifteen-minute walk to school. His hand felt…_strange_ now that he had taken off his ring. He'd only worn it for a few days, but the gold band had grown on him like second skin. But of course he had to, if he wanted to keep his _status_ a secret to the rest of the world.

He heard the growing din of voices and knew he was nearing the gates of his school. He straightened up, slung his bag over one shoulder, and just tried to walk as normally as one could (with his trademark scowl and attitude, of course), without seeming as if he were burdened with a secret as big as the one he carried.

He felt a tap to his shoulder, and he only had to flick his gaze to the side to see his friend's huge profile. Sado Yasutora, or Chad as he was more popularly called, nodded briefly at him. He nodded back, and they resumed their walk. Karakura High had a population of over five hundred, not including the fifty or so faculty and staff. It was a decent figure for a small town like Karakura.

On the way, he felt gazes on him, but he had long since trained himself to ignore the majority of them. He always seemed to get into trouble because of his hair, though admittedly, his attitude wasn't helping things either. He was just glad he somehow managed to have a neat circle of friends that didn't judge him by his looks.

They entered class 1-D and he was immediately greeted by a loud "Ichigo!" that he somehow managed to ignore. Asano Keigo, however, was quite an obtuse fellow when it comes to these things. And he went as far as to try and hug him, and that earned him a swift side kick. Ichigo made sure that he didn't hit him _that_ hard. Well, he hoped so, anyway.

He made his way to his desk without anyone else accosting him, and that gave him little joy. He wasn't really an approachable person and his persistent scowl usually warned people off. And he was thankful for that, since he really wasn't into sharing his life with other people. In fact, he preferred it if people minded their own business.

A slender girl with dark hair up in a boyish cut approached him. This was Tatsuki, his childhood friend, and was one of the exceptions to the general rule of 'do not approach the guy with the perpetual scowl on his face'.

"Yo," she greeted with a grin.

"Hey yourself," he replied in a nonchalant manner.

She crossed her arms in front of her and sat on the edge of the desk in front of him. "So we had quite a long break, huh? How was yours?" she asked in an offhand manner.

His eyes widened, and he had to contain his features. _Did she suspect anything? _He sneaked a quick glance at her. No, he didn't really think so. Besides, the ceremony was a private one, and was even held in the Kuchiki manor. He doubted anyone not of Kuchiki blood (except for him and his family, of course) even knew.

He cleared his throat and placed his elbow on the desk. He then propped his chin on his palm. "Nothing really special about it," he answered. _If you don't count being wedded over the break, that is._

She snickered. "Well, I guess I should have suspected that. You're quite an anti-social, after all."

He just rolled his eyes at her, since what she said was not really a lie.

Then she noticed someone enter, and her face brightened up considerably. "Orihime!" she greeted, waving a hand.

His eyes briefly strayed towards the door. Inoue Orihime strode in, her face all smiles when she saw her best friend waving at her. "Tatsuki-chan, good morning!" she greeted back. Her long strawberry-blond hair flowed out from behind her, two flower-shaped blue pins glinting in the early morning sunlight. He didn't really know that much about her, just that she was popular with the guys because of her looks and her, um, _generous _assets.

Knowing that Tatsuki was otherwise engaged with the newcomer, he glanced idly out at the window. He was lucky he snagged this particular seat, since it afforded him a good view of the school grounds. It provided him with little entertainment, especially when he found a class too boring. It was also near the back, so he didn't have to worry about people staring at his back in class too.

A sudden hush fell on the class, and their adviser came in. She said something to the class that Ichigo did not really hear since his attention was still trained outside, but then he heard a voice that almost made him cry out in surprise.

He turned his face slowly, but he already knew. And when he did meet her gaze, her eyes only seemed to smirk at him.

"Good morning, everyone! My name is Kuchiki Rukia. Pleased to meet you!" she said in greeting, her voice that awful tone she used when she first arrived at his house. He visibly blanched.

There were a few murmurs, and someone even whistled (Ichigo had to turn his head at that). Obviously, everyone was surprised that someone transferred, considering they were already near the middle of the school year. Heck, even he was surprised to find her there, and she _lived_ in his place. He wondered how she managed to convince the school to accept her. Didn't they have rules on how late an enrollee can get? Then, he remembered that _she _wasn't really an ordinary person. Must be the Kuchiki influence, he decided. _Either that or a certain amount of donation to the school, perhaps._

The teacher glanced around at the class, and then she pointed at the only empty seat. He and Rukia glanced at it at the same time. _Great_, they both thought. As she trudged towards her new seat, he remembered the events earlier that morning, and how they suddenly made sense. He'd gone downstairs at the usual hour, and he'd assumed that Rukia had at least gotten breakfast before him. The place where she was from originally was quite a distance from his place, after all, so if she had to go to school, she'd have to get up extra early so she won't be late. But when he sat at the table, her breakfast was still untouched. When he asked his father about it, he just answered with a sly grin on his face, "You'll see." He hadn't given it further thought at that moment.

Well, now, he _did_.

When the class began, Ichigo now had _two_ things to amuse him. The view from the window, and finally… the midget that now sat directly in front of him.

--+--+--+--

Kuchiki Rukia could not believe her luck (or rather, the lack of it). First, she had to marry Ichigo. Then, she had to transfer schools _and_ move in at his place. And _then_ she found herself in the same _class_ as him. To top it all off, she now sat in front of him. Seriously, was boring a hole through her back with his gaze that much amusing to the orange-haired idiot? She never thought she'd be grateful for her strict upbringing, or else she'd have long since had a fit that she was _sure_ would embarrass her for the rest of her life.

The bell suddenly rang, signaling class break. An idea suddenly popped into her mind, and she waited in anticipation for her opening.

Her chance came when a silly-looking brown-haired guy approached the desk behind her. He barely said a few words, when she abruptly turned in her seat. "My, my, Kurosaki-kun! What a surprise to find you here!" she said in her brightest voice. She inwardly smirked in satisfaction when she saw him choke on his pack of juice.

He turned his wide eyes at her and threw her a look that screamed, _'What the heck are you planning?'_

The brown-haired guy had looked at her in shock at her exclamation, but then glanced quickly at Ichigo to gauge his reaction. Seizing the lack of attention to her, she quickly made a face at him.

"H-Huh?" he stammered.

She rolled her eyes at him. Geez, can't you do better than that?

Ichigo's friend then asked the question of the year. "Ichigo, you know Kuchiki-san?"

She swore she could almost see the gears turn in desperation on his mind.

The whole class was suddenly enveloped in silence, and it was only then that she noticed that their conversation had earned the interest of all the other students in the room. She could feel sweat start to form at her forehead, and she was rapidly realizing what a stupid move she made. She mentally smacked herself. Now what?

Ichigo seemed to snap out of it then, and he also seemed to realize the situation they were currently in. He scratched at his head, and then replied lazily, "Yeah, we know each other. Don't we, _Kuchiki_?" It was her turn to gape at him. He smirked at her, as if to say, _your turn._

She laughed weakly. "Yes, that's right." All gazes were turned on her. She realized that they were waiting for her to explain more about their _connection_.

"Are you his girlfriend?" a voice suddenly asked.

"Is that why he doesn't hang out with others much?" another asked

"So he's not gay?!"

Questions and exclamations suddenly erupted and her mind went blank by the time the third question was thrown.

Oh, shit. Ichigo, you are _on your own_.

--+--+--+--

The whole time, he was enjoying the sight of the midget squirm uncomfortably in her seat. _Serves her right for starting this whole thing, _he thought in amusement. But then the questions got a little out of hand, and he knew he had to put a stop to it.

"Hey!" he barked at no one in particular, but his tone got everyone's attention, and they immediately quieted down. Rukia was now staring at him, and he stared at her in turn. Their little staring contest continued for quite some time, until he finally said, "She's not my girlfriend." She blinked.

Keigo leaned towards him. "Well, then, who is she?" he asked a little impatiently. "I can't believe you didn't even introduce such a cute girl to me," he grumbled under his breath. He heard the last part, and though he was a little ticked off at it, he decided to ignore it.

Rukia was waving her hand in front of her. "Um, I'm sorry for my outburst," she said, her voice sounding apologetic. "I'm not really someone special to Kurosaki-kun. We're just -"

"She's family," he cut in. She blinked at him again. Most of the class had lost interest in their conversation, but the few who continued to listen in had heard him. They, too, lost their interest after that, and he even heard some dispirited sighs. They were probably disappointed that they hadn't uncovered some huge _secret_ that they could gossip about.

"She's…family?" Keigo repeated stupidly. "You mean she's a relative of yours?"

He was looking at her, but at Keigo's question, he broke eye contact. He turned to him and nodded solemnly. "Yes, Keigo, that's all there is to it."

"Yeah," Rukia said in agreement. "That's all there is to it."

When the bell rang again, Rukia suddenly leaned towards him. He frowned at her in surprise. She wasn't looking at him, however. She had her gaze on the far side of the room, with her body slightly titled towards him.

"Good morning class," the math teacher greeted.

"Thank you," she whispered at the same time.

He heard her though, and he couldn't help but grin at the blush that started to appear on her cheeks.

She quickly turned her back to him and took her seat at her desk.

"You're welcome," he answered just as softly. He wasn't sure if she heard or not.

--+--+--+--

The bell signaling lunch time rang, and students immediately rushed out of the room. Rukia was just wondering where she'd eat her lunch when she felt a poke at her back.

"What," she said, frowning a little. She looked up at Ichigo who was standing stiffly at her side.

"You don't have anyone to hang out with yet, right? We're having our lunch at the rooftop." He wasn't looking at her when he said it. "You can join us…if you want to, that is."

She had to admit, she was a little…_touched_. She somehow knew that he wasn't really the type to be friendly and all. "Ah," she just answered, and she followed him without another word to the rooftop.

A bunch of people had already gathered there and they wore expressions of varying degrees of surprise when Ichigo entered with her in tow.

She smiled brightly at them to hide her nervousness.

"Ah, Kuchiki-san, you could sit here beside me!" the brown-haired guy she heard Ichigo call Keigo offered. She glanced at Ichigo and saw that he was rolling his eyes at his friend. She reluctantly took the offered seat.

"Move a little," Ichigo suddenly said, scooting down next to her, almost toppling Keigo when he started to sit down.

"Oi," she started to protest. Inwardly, though, she was thankful she didn't have to sit next to Keigo. Frankly, he looked like a pervert to her.

As if he heard her thoughts, Ichigo grunted, "He's a pervert."

"Hey!" said person protested. Everybody else in hearing chuckled.

She shook her head, smiling a little. She was starting to warm up to these people.

"Oh, yeah," Ichigo suddenly said. "Everyone, this is Rukia." She bowed to them a little too formally. Ichigo frowned a little at that. _Oh, right. I'm supposed to be a regular student._ She quickly amended her actions by waving brightly at them. "Hello, everyone!" she greeted for the second time.

He nodded approvingly, and then continued to make introductions. His little group consisted of Tatsuki, Chad, Keigo, Ryo, Mahana, Mizuiro, and a bubbly, big-breasted girl (who made even Rukia sneak a glance at her own modest chest) named Inoue.

The lunch was spent in a relatively uneventful manner. She quickly learned that Ichigo didn't really join in on any of their conversations (that made her a _little_ curious). It almost seemed like he was just there to eat lunch with them. It might just be that the other girls were engrossed in _girly _topics, and the guys were… well, they did what most guys did, she supposed. Mizuiro kept fiddling with his cell phone, and Keigo kept bothering him about perverted stuff. When she turned to Ichigo for an explanation, his casual answer was, "He's got a lot of girlfriends." She didn't believe him at first, but then Mizuiro himself confirmed it when he answered a call from someone named Mika, but then he dialed up another woman whom he called 'Riza' just a minute later. Chad was silent for the whole lunch.

She really didn't know much about the girls and what they talked about, so she turned once again to Ichigo. He was reluctant at first to keep a conversation with her, but within moments, they were in heated argument about some thing or other.

Well, at least she no longer had to worry about having no one to talk to.

--+--+--+--

"Ichigo, we're going to a karaoke place! Want to come with?" Keigo asked.

"Not interested," was his quick reply.

"Oh, come on! Wait, do you have a date or something? I knew it! So this is the reason you don't -"

"Oh, shut it!" he yelled in aggravation.

Keigo pouted like a puppy yelled by his master.

Ichigo sighed. "Look, I just don't feel like it, okay?"

A few more attempts by Keigo, and more outbursts from Ichigo later, he finally escaped the class room.

Because he was pestered by Keigo, he wasn't able to see when Rukia walked out of the room. Not that he was looking for her so they could walk home together. He was merely _**a little**_ _concerned _that she might lose her way or get attacked or something. He was fairly certain Byakuya would have his head if anything happened to his _dear_ sister.

Just as he turned the corner, he noticed a familiar raven-haired figure some few feet away from him. He started to walk faster, all the while thinking,_ she might get lost, after all._ They were only a few blocks from his house, though.

He patted her head (in a manner like petting a dog) when he got to her side. She immediately glared at him, all the while combing back the hair that he managed to mess. He just ignored her grumbling after that. A rare moment of silence passed. But they really weren't the type to keep silent, especially when they can annoy the hell out of the other.

"So…" Rukia chirped, her voice holding a teasing tone. "I'm _family _now, huh?" she smirked.

He scowled back at her. "Well, if you hadn't been so stupid as to start that…discussion, I wouldn't have had to say that you're a relative. It's a good thing they didn't dig deeper into the matter, or we would've been in deep shit."

"I wasn't really lying about the family thing, though," he muttered under his breath.

Rukia tilted her head at him. "What was that you said?"

He happened to glance down then, and that's when he noticed.

**"Oi!"** he screeched at her, skidding to an abrupt halt in front of her. "What are you doing?!"

"Huh?" she said obviously ignorant.

He sighed in exasperation. He pointed at her hand. "What the heck is that?!"

She glanced down at her hand, then at him. "A…_hand_?!" she asked in sarcasm.

He gripped the side of his head. **"Argh!"** He suddenly grabbed her hand and held it up to her face. "What is it you're _**wearing**_, damn it!"

She paled as understanding hit.

He let go of her hand, sighing again. "It's a wonder no one noticed. Really, you should have known better -"

"Hey! I slipped once, okay? Won't happen again," she gritted out.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd have thought you actually _wanted _to let them know," he muttered.

She gasped. "Absolutely not!" she denied. And the next thing he knew, she had kicked his shin. Twice.

"Ouch! Stupid dwarf!"

She flicked out her tongue at him.

And they continued bickering on the way, the golden ring she wore on her finger twinkling innocently in the afternoon light.

-

-

_to be continued.._

_-_

_-_

* * *

_A/N: there's not too much action here... it's kinda like an introduction to the life these newly-weds would be living, what with school and all.. don't worry, in the next few chaps, there'd be a whole new, um, _persons _and _events_ to look forward to.._

_Thanks for those who reviewed!! :D_


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Alright... So we got rid of most of the introductions... now we can focus more on the story.. Yay!

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

--+--+--+--

**A GLIMPSE OF THE SECRET LONG PAST**

--+--+--+--

The week flew by, then another. And Kurosaki Ichigo had already gotten into a unique rhythm of interaction with his teenage wife. Of course, they still don't see each other as the other's spouse. Things just worked out that way for them – that's all.

The routine's pretty simple: they see each other and an argument (they fight over the silliest things) immediately erupts between them. Then they have those sudden serious conversations… though they tend to always end up in awkward silences. And then the quiet moments are broken by one wrong word or comment. And the bickering starts all over again.

See? Quite simple.

And they lived that boisterous yet relatively uncomplicated life for two whole weeks. That was before Rukia received a call one Friday night…

"Ichigo!" Rukia called out, sounding a little harried. He heard the quick pattering of steps descending the stairs, and sure enough, Rukia came into view mere seconds later.

He arched an eyebrow at her from his seat on the coach. On the table before him lay an open magazine on race cars and popular electronic gadgets guys normally got interested in.

"What's up?" he asked flippantly.

She sighed wearily and trudged on towards him. She plopped on the other side of the couch.

"I just received a call from Nii-sama. He wants us to visit the manor for the weekend," she explained, playing with a stray strand of her hair. She blew it out of her face, but it stubbornly dropped back in place. She scowled in annoyance.

He flipped a page on his magazine and continued to read. "Oh? Is that so?" he replied absent-mindedly. Then, his brain belatedly processed her words, and as soon as it did, he shot up from his seat. **"What?!"** he exclaimed incredulously at her.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Good, your brain's functioning," she teased.

A nerve started to tick in irritation on his forehead. "Ha-ha. Not funny." He scratched the side of his head. "But seriously… You said your brother called? And he wants us to -?"

"Yes," she answered glumly.

He scowled. "Do we have to go? I mean, it's not like there's an emergency or something, right? Let's just… give him some excuse."

She looked at him with a deadpan expression on her face. "Okay… _genius_. What excuse do you propose we give him?"

He shrugged. "I don't know… homework, maybe? Or a project we needed done?"

"He's not going to buy some half-assed excuses like that."

He snorted. "You know what? I don't really care. I'm not going," he declared.

She smacked him on the head.

"Ow! What was that for?"

She shrugged. "Your brain must have shut down again. I just gave it a little poke."

"That wasn't a poke!" He glowered at her.

She wasn't the least bit intimidated. Instead, she lifted her hand threateningly at him. He flinched on reflex.

"Listen, my brother only asks for _some_ of the weekends to spend time with me. That is, in exchange for agreeing to my staying here." He grumbled a bit, but she decided to ignore that. "As such, we can't really ignore him if he calls us over." She explained it like she was talking to a child. He didn't like it one bit.

His scowl deepened. "Well, you're the sister. _You_ go. _**I**_** stay**," was his stubborn reply.

That earned him another smack - this time, harder.

"Ow!" he yelped, clutching his head and backing away for real. "You don't really need to hit that hard! In fact, you don't need to hit me _**at all!**_"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Well, you _really _need it. Anyway, _you_ are coming with me because my brother _wants_ you to."

"He must want to see what kind of manyou are," she joked.

"If that's a joke, I don't see what's funny about it." He crossed his arms defiantly. "Whatever. I'm _still_ not going."

--+--+--+--

"Why am I here again?" he asked, grunting a little. He held two bags in his arms. The larger, much heavier one obviously wasn't _his_. Not to mention it had a picture of a _glaring _pink bunny on the front pocket.

"Coz I said so," was her immediate smug reply.

Well, even though she _said so_, it had actually taken her another full five minutes (and a couple more hard whacks to his person) to finally convince him.

The Kuchiki estate was located on a relatively unpopulated countryside area a few miles east off the Karakura town border. From Ichigo's house, the trip took about an hour, not including the long walk from the base of the narrow tree-lined side road that led to the gates of the estate. And from there, a two-minute walk up the winding driveway. They were currently standing in front of the huge double doors of the mansion.

Rukia raised a hand up and pressed a discreet button on the left wall. A moment later, a somber looking young man opened the door. He had a sickly pale complexion that contrasted greatly with his midnight black hair. His eyes were a startling pale green, but his face was set in a perpetual deadpan expression.

"Ah, Rukia-sama, you've returned," he greeted in a monotonous voice. He bowed gracefully, holding an arm over his immaculate white suit. Straightening up, he only seemed to take in Ichigo's presence at that moment. "Ah, you've brought your…_husband_ with you." It almost seemed as if he was mocking Ichigo (or maybe the both of them?). She sneaked a quick glance at her companion. No reaction yet, huh?

She smiled in a fake manner. "Yes, Ulquiorra, I have. Now, where's my brother? He's expecting us."

He stared at her for a few freaky moments before he finally answered. "He's at the gardens at the back. I shall call for him and inform him of your arrival. Meanwhile, should I escort the young man with you to his rooms? Or will he be staying _with you_ in yours?"

She was seriously beginning to hate the servant. She wasn't discriminatory or anything; there's just something… _off_ with the guy. It was an uneasy feeling she had about him that never left her from the moment she first laid eyes on him.

"No, the guest quarters will be fine," she gritted out. She saw from the corner of her eyes that Ichigo had been gripping the handle of the bags a little tighter than necessary. She inwardly smiled. Good, at least they were in agreement on this matter, for once.

She entered without further note and only stopped to take her bag briefly from Ichigo. He smirked at her, and then turned to follow Ulquiorra. She shook her head, and began her own short trek to her room upstairs.

--+--+--+--

She allowed herself to fall back onto the silky soft mattress of her bed. She missed the clean white wallpaper with its tiny leaf patters. She missed _her_ study, _her _things, and all the other things she couldn't pack with her. She smiled at her stuffed bear collection. She had about fifty of them, of different shapes and sizes - some of them even wore native costumes from a few of the countries she had visited before.

She groped around for a pillow and covered her face with it. Inhaling the clean scent of it, she closed her eyes in bliss. Even though she had a few misgivings about coming back, she could not deny that she _was _happy nonetheless. There's just something comforting about coming back to a place you've spent most of your life in – it's like, a safe zone or something like that.

She was afraid she might doze off any moment if she stayed that way even for a few more seconds, so she reluctantly stood up. Glancing around at her room, she stretched and did a little exercise. Since she only shared a room with Ichigo's sisters, she hadn't been able to exercise much there. There wasn't enough space, for one, and she didn't want to be a bother to the twins in case they wanted to study in peace or something.

Foot apart, she bent down and touched the side of her foot with her hand.

_"Our grandfather arrived last night," _Byakuya had said.

She frowned a little at the recollection. She had never been close with any of the Kuchikis before. Most of them thought she wasn't worth the money Byakuya spent on her, she knew. The rest didn't give a damn at all. She had the necessary training, and learned how a refined lady should act. She played her part, but there always seemed to be that invisible wall she couldn't penetrate. And _that_ kept her from totally belonging in their world.

But that fact didn't bother her now as much as it did before. _Perhaps it's because she had been _**accepted**_ by the Kurosakis._ She couldn't help the happy smile that played on her lips. Yes, she had a new family now.

Her spirits rose. Suddenly, the thought of meeting Kuchiki Kamiya didn't feel like such a big deal anymore.

--+--+--+--

He'd already been in this room twice, but he still couldn't help himself from gaping at the sight of it.

He'd seen pictures of luxurious rooms from home magazines, but seeing and actually getting to stay in one are leagues apart in comparison. There were polished oak panels on the lower half of the walls. Wind breathed in from the open windows that spanned an entire wall and naturally cooled the room. The thin white drapes fluttered in the breeze. A king-sized bed, with clean white sheets, and comfortable-looking pillows was placed against the wall. In the middle of the room, a small round table with a matching oak chair. A huge wardrobe closet sat in one corner, a decorative marble statue on another. As with the rest of the mansion, it had rich wall to wall carpeting in deep red.

He shook his head, finally remembering that the creepy servant was still waiting outside the room. He briefly contemplated making him wait for a few more minutes, but his plan quickly got trashed when he heard a distinct knock on the door. The door opened and Ulquiorra's figure appeared to stand silently on the doorway. Oh, well. So much for that…

He rolled his eyes, but followed the man. A turn down the hallway and several steps later, they came to a stop in front of an archway that led to a garden outside. Ulquiorra turned without a word and left him on his own, right there. He scoffed. Then he began to peer out at the garden where he assumed Byakuya was idly spending the time out.

"Hey," a voice said from behind.

He turned to her. "Your servant's a little rude," he immediately commented.

"I know," Rukia said dryly. She pulled at his sleeve and began to steer him out. They saw Byakuya a little further out, calmly sipping from a cup. He was sitting with a much older man around a square wrought-iron table. There were two empty chairs on each side of them.

Byakuya looked up in time to see them approach. He gestured for them to sit, which they did, and said, in his usual commanding voice, "You two are just in time." He motioned towards the old man beside him. "We've been waiting for you."

Ichigo knitted his brow. He was pretty sure he had not seen _this_ elder before at the wedding. Was he supposed to know him?

Beside him, Rukia bowed her head respectfully. "You've safely arrived, Grandfather." _Grandfather? _**This** _person is the reason we got married at our age?_

He frowned, but took Rukia's lead and nodded his head at him.

Kuchiki Kamiya stared hard at him. He'd heard that he was sick, but this intimidating man before him did not look like a person who's only got a few more months to live. Yes, he was almost like an older version of Byakuya – both had a cold expression and a look that said they won't go down that easily. There were only a few white strands that laced through his short black hair, and he wore a white striped jacket over his tailored clothes.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he finally spoke, his words surprisingly clear despite his soft voice. "I thank you for consenting to the union. It had been my greatest desire to marry off one of my kind to a descendant of Katsuragi Hayato."

_So it's true… he really knew his grandfather_, he thought. Wanting to probe deeper into the matter, he asked, "How did you know my grandpa?"

Kamiya's face crinkled into something akin to a smirk. "You even have the same blunt attitude," he commented. He coughed into his hand a little, and then stared off, as if contemplating what he was about to say.

Ichigo unconsciously leaned forward. He was really curious how _his_ grandpa got to be friends with someone from the upper class society.

Kamiya trained his steel gray eyes on him again, the corners of his mouth slightly tilted. "You're ignorant of the fact that he was from a wealthy family too, am I right?"

It felt like a bomb dropped on top of him. He gaped in astonishment. "What?!"_You've got to be kidding me. There is _no way_**my**__ grandpa…_

The elder held up a hand in amusement. "No, I am not, in your generation's terms, _kidding_ you. I assure you, what I'm saying is all true." A hint of sadness touched his features fleetingly, but it passed and he wondered if he was just imagining it. "Hayato was my childhood friend, one that I am proud to have gotten the honor of meeting. He had my back quite a couple of times back in those days. We were young and quite sick with how society worked, how it never really seemed to change through the years. We wished for things to let up a bit. But we were tied too strongly to the customs of our ancestors, and it didn't show any signs of changing at any time. It felt _stifling_."

"So Grandfather, what happened to Hayato-dono?" He almost jumped in surprise when Rukia suddenly spoke up. She'd been silent the whole conversation, and he'd been too engrossed in the elder's story that he'd almost forgotten she was there. He'd even forgotten Byakuya's presence, even though he was normally too imposing to ignore.

The elder looked at her with a soft expression on his face. Ichigo almost smiled. _These_ Kuchikis sure could surprise other people with how _human_ their expressions could get from their usual aloof countenance. He'd learned that one almost as soon as he got to know one Kuchiki Rukia.

"My dear," he said, voice almost a murmur. He touched his hand briefly on top of his granddaughter's. "I haven't thanked you enough for listening to my selfish request. I am deeply sorry I couldn't attend the actual ceremony."

Rukia shook her head. "No, Grandfather, it's quite alright," she said just as softly. "You were out of the country for your treatment, and I understand."

Remembering himself, Kamiya cleared his throat. "Now where was I? Oh, yes. Hayato…" He heaved a deep sigh. "I won't ever forget the day he left his clan. He'd been at odds with his family because of his relationship with Kurosaki Maya, a beautiful woman, but still a commoner. I couldn't do anything for him when he was disowned by his own kin." At that point, he turned his gaze back at Ichigo. "I was sent away to manage some business my family owned abroad, and for a long time, I haven't been able to hear from your grandfather. When I got back some twenty years ago, I immediately sought for him. I found out that he had married your grandmother and then carried the Kurosaki name. He had, in all sense, turned his back on his past life and embraced his new one.

"When we met up, he looked older than I was, even when we were supposed to be of the same age. He experienced some hardships of life, but there was no mistaking the happiness in his eyes." He paused, a faraway look in his eyes. He resumed in a moment, but it was obvious that his mind was somewhere _far _back into the past. "I remember the look of pride in his eyes when he talked about his only son. He told me he was a practitioner, and that he worked for a well-known hospital. I then told him about my own son, and that he already had a family of his own. We talked some more about all sorts of things. Really, it was a means for us to catch up with each other's lives. And that was when I gave him my solemn promise that I would watch over his descendants the moment he departs from this life."

"My grandpa passed away when I was five," Ichigo spoke up.

Kamiya gave an aggrieved sigh. "Yes, he did."

There was a moment of silence that was unexpectedly broken by the grandson.

"So… when exactly did you have an agreement for your grandkids to marry?" Byakuya asked, his tone giving away nothing, but Ichigo had no doubt that he was suspicious about the whole marriage deal. Heck, even he was.

Kamiya coughed a little, and then he grabbed his cup and took a sip. Ichigo had to raise his eyebrow at that. He was skeptic from the very beginning, but then he heard that this man is practically on the brink of death, which is why he agreed to be wedded to his granddaughter.

He did not look at any of them when he answered. "We, um, talked about it when we met up for the second time years ago. We were in the middle of another conversation when _that_ subject just came up. We thought it'd be good if our families' ties were strengthened with a formal union, so we, ah, agreed… And now," he looked up to stare at Ichigo in the eye, "you have _become_… part of the family.

Ichigo paused to consider the old man's words, and reluctantly nodded. Well, it was true. He had married the midget, and so was, legally, and in a sense, tied to the Kuchiki clan.

Kamiya heaved a sigh (and _was that a sigh of relief?_) and nodded in satisfaction.

A few minutes later, they got up to head for lunch, but Kamiya asked that he stay behind. He wanted to be left alone with his thoughts. Besides, he didn't want to show them his weak side if his sickness suddenly overwhelms him. That was one thing he wanted to carry alone – his pain and suffering – till he was no longer able.

When the three of them were out of sight, Kamiya allowed a small smile on his face. A soft breeze blew, and he thought he could almost hear a deep chuckle being carried in the wind. He looked up at the clear blue sky before raising a hand up to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun.

"Ne, Hayato… I did well, huh?" There was a glint in his eye; as if he held some secret he only dared share in silence with his departed friend. _It'd be worth the lie, and no one would know any better._

The wind tousled his hair, and he closed his eyes in contentment. "I'm glad you understand. Be at peace, old friend. I'll keep my promise till the end."

-

-

_to be continued_

_-_

_-  
_


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here's the continuation.. :D

* * *

Disclaimer: Bleach ain't mine.

--+--+--+--

**TO FEEL THE VEIL LIFT AND BE RECOGNIZED**

--+--+--+--

Rukia had never felt more at ease in being a Kuchiki than she did today. Her encounter with her grandfather earlier, after so many years, had gone so well she almost could not believe it. She glanced at Ichigo who was seated at her right on the table. He looked as if he was having a little difficulty deciding what to put in his plate. _I guess I owe you one_, she thought with a small smile.

"Ichigo," she said patiently, "you can eat as much as you want. It's not as if there's a price on those dishes, so just take what you want." She looked up at her brother, and he nodded his approval. She turned to look at him again. "It's fine."

He glared at her, but there was no intensity there. "I know," he grumbled, but he listened to her advice and started to heap food onto his platter. She held back a chuckle. Honestly, he looked like a kid faced with dozens of presents on Christmas day.

They shared a relatively quiet lunch, and she and Ichigo didn't find anything to argue with for once. When she was done, she pushed back her chair and excused herself.

Ichigo just looked at her, and she could almost hear the thought coming from his mind. _Where are you going?_

She grinned a little at him and just held up a hand in a little wave, as if to say, _don't worry about it_.

When she got to the flight of stairs, she saw a dark-haired young man pass through an archway from their private library. Her expression brightened, and she called out, "Hana!"

The said person looked up in surprise at her voice, and a grin almost instantly bloomed on his face. "Rukia-san, you're back!" He jogged up to her.

She patted his shoulder in affection. "Yup, but only for the weekend, though."

Hanatarou's smile fell a little. "Oh. Well… is the young master with you then?"

She tilted her head slightly. _Young master -? _Realization dawned on her. _Oh._

"Yes, Hana, Ichigo came with me," she replied.

His expression brightened again. "Oh, good then! At last I'd be able to meet your husband -" she cringed at the word "since I haven't been able to greet him at the ceremony, or even at the reception. I was too busy with things then. Ah, what fond memories!" She didn't have the heart to tell him that _she_ hadn't had much fun at the said occasion.

"Well, Hana, I'd be sure to introduce him to you later."

He shook his head, waving his hands in front of him. "Ah, no, no! You don't have to trouble yourself! Forget what I said!" he exclaimed hastily.

She planted her hand on her hip. "Nope, it's no trouble at all, Hana. In fact, I insist that you meet him. I'll just find you later this afternoon, okay?"

He laughed weakly, rubbing the back of his head. "Very well… If you insist…" He bowed to her. "Thank you, Rukia-san. And welcome back."

"Ah," she said softly.

--+--+--+--

She zipped up the small bag, and patted it down to reduce the bulge. She sighed in satisfaction. Yup, that should do it.

She stood up and gently placed the bag at the foot of her bed. She sat down to rest, but something caught her attention, so she stood back up and picked up the frame that sat alone on top of her side table.

She smiled at it. There were four of them in the picture, and they were twelve when it was taken. Renji had a silly grin on his face, and he looked as if he was about to throw the baseball bat he gripped in his hand. His bright red hair only reached the top of his shoulder then. A dark-haired girl looked on at the others with a pleasant expression on her face, her hands on her back as she stood. A younger version of Rukia was smiling at the camera as she sat with her back resting lightly against the trunk of an ancient tree. Beside her, a young man stood, also leaning against the tree. He looked bored with the world with his arms at the back of his head, but she could see the telltale glint of amusement in his eyes.

For a long moment, she was lost in her own world. But then, she heard a booming voice from below, and after she replaced the frame on its rightful place, she got up and left straightaway.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo had been lounging about at one of the balconies when he suddenly got attacked from behind. He turned his head quickly to face his _attacker_ only to find the bubbly pink-haired girl from the ceremony attached to his back, and gripping on to his hair for support. She gave him a toothy smile.

He sputtered, shooting upright, "G-get off me, you brat!" Bad move.

The brat giggled merrily, hanging in the air with only his hair keeping her up. "Yay! We're playing _swing_!"

"Ouch!" he yelped, his arms going around to his back to yank the kid off of him. "Let go of my hair, you _pink-haired_ monkey!"

She made a face at him, but jumped off. He sighed in relief, and then he backed away for good measure. She didn't look like she'd attack again, but with a Kuchiki, you never know. He'd learned that the hard way.

She smirked, pointing a finger at him. "Strawberry-chan is afraid of little Yachiru! Ha-ha-ha!"

"What?! No way!" He glared at the little imp.

She flicked out a tongue at him, before laughingly running away. A moment later, she returned, and Ichigo received a worse shock than earlier. The towering man with the eye patch looked at him, a mad grin on his face. The pink-haired imp was latched onto his back.

"Kurosaki!" he roared. "You're as puny as ever!"

He gaped at him. "What?" he asked stupidly.

The giant rolled his eyes at him. "Geez, you're quite slow in the head, too. Tch. Little Rukia's made a bad match with you."

He stomped angrily towards him, eyes flashing. "What did you say?!" he spat.

He snorted, and Yachiru giggled. "You don't scare me, kid," he calmly said, eyeing him.

He growled low in his throat. Just then, Rukia appeared, her gaze taking in the scene.

"Uncle, Yachiru, what are you two doing here?" she asked in wonder.

The giant turned to her. "Ah, there you are, Rukia-chan. I heard you were coming with your _puny_ husband -" at that, she looked amusedly at him "so I decided to pay you a visit. Then, I met up with the others on the way, so here we are," he explained.

Yachiru jumped off from his back and ran towards Rukia. "Ru-chan!" she greeted gaily, giving the slightly taller girl a hug. Rukia gave her an awkward pat back. He started to smirk at the scene, but then his words registered in his mind.

"Wait… What do you mean by _others_?" he asked suspiciously.

The elder gestured with his head behind him. He peered around at him to look at what he meant, and sure enough, four other people stared back at him from where they stood.

"Umm… Hi?" Ichigo said weakly.

--+--+--+--

Byakuya looked up momentarily from the stack of papers he was poring through. His assistant, a smartly-dressed woman with light hair and eyes, stood before his massive desk, her expression almost as emotionless as his.

"Kuchiki-sama, some of your relatives had come to visit. Apparently, they wanted to see how Miss Rukia is faring with the boy," she explained.

He blinked, and that was the closest thing to a reaction one could expect from him. "I see," he said. He stood up slowly, the documents on his desk already disregarded.

He had an impromptu family reunion to attend to.

--+--+--+--

Rukia gazed wide-eyed at her family. Of all things, she never expected to get the amount of concern from the Kuchikis as she now got from these people. There was Aunt Retsu, Byakuya's first cousin. She always had a motherly expression on her face, so she was only a _little_ surprised when she saw the woman. But then there's Zaraki Kenpachi, an elder that's said to be the most eccentric in the family. Heck, he even changed his Kuchiki name since he felt it wasn't manly enough. And the way he was interrogating (and in the process, irritating) Ichigo told her that his concern for her well-being was genuine.

The biggest surprise was seeing the most respected Kuchiki member and the elder deemed to have the most power over the clan next to her brother, Kuchiki Shigekuni, come to visit _her_ of all people. When he introduces himself, though, he always compelled people to call him General Yamamoto, as that was the title he was used to from his years serving the military. To the younger generation of the Kuchiki such as herself, he was simply 'Yamamoto-dono'.

"Captain Zaraki," a bald-headed man was saying, "maybe you should drag this orange-haired boy to the ship and make him do manly stuff." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively. "I'd be happy to _train_ him."

Another man with dark hair reaching his ears said, "And I'd be happy to assist you, Ikkaku."

Madarame Ikkaku snorted at his mate. "Like hell I'd allow you to, Yumichika. You'd only corrupt the poor boy until he'd wonder at his own gender."

**"Hey!"** Ichigo and Yumichika both yelled in protest. The three started to bicker in idiotic fashion until Zaraki hit them each with a familiar-looking cane. The three grumbled under their breaths but they quieted down. Without a word, the huge elder handed back the cane to the General, who looked vaguely amused at the actions of the younger men.

"Idiots," Zaraki reprimanded, "can't you tell Rukia-chan won't be pleased if you dragged off her husband away from her this early in their marriage? Of course they'd want a whole year to enjoy themselves."

Rukia and Ichigo both blushed to the tips of their toes.

"N-no, way… What the heck are you saying?" Ichigo stammered. She, on the other hand, could not seem to find her tongue.

"Now, people," Unohana Retsu spoke up, "don't embarrass the young ones too much. These matters are better kept private, after all."

_Oh, good lord. Where's a gaping pit when you needed one to hide in?_ Rukia slid deeper into her seat, hoping she'd miraculously shrink and escape this conversation.

Byakuya coughed, and all heads turned to him. He turned his gaze to Rukia, and she immediately straightened up in her seat. "Rukia, maybe you should accompany your aunt to the gardens. She wanted to see the new hydrangeas and irises we added last month." In other words, _please leave so we can torture Ichigo without holding back_.

She glanced at Ichigo and saw him pale. She almost didn't want to leave him, but her Aunt was looking expectantly at her, not to mention her brother was staring at her every move.

"I understand, Nii-sama," she replied instead.

_Sorry, Ichigo_.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo suddenly felt the temperature drop the moment the three girls (Zaraki made his niece Yachiru go with them) left the room.

Ikkaku cackled madly. "Nice one, young master Byakuya!"

"Beautifully done," Yumichika agreed with a nod.

"Can I go with -" he started to stay, but the old man with the wooden cane named Yamamoto rapped the said cane hard onto the floor. Ichigo gulped. "Okay," he managed to squeak.

Zaraki rubbed his hands together in glee. "Well then, men, shall we begin?" he inquired, his only visible eye glinting.

_'Begin what?' _he wanted to ask, but the words never left his throat. He felt a cold shiver run down his spine. Well, he was about to find out soon enough.

--+--+--+--

Rukia stopped suddenly. _Did Ichigo just yell out?_ She shook her head. Nah... It must be her imagination.

"Rukia-chan," Unohana spoke up in a solemn voice. "I'm sorry we ever made you feel like you didn't belong in the family."

She widened her eyes at the woman, and began to shake her head. "No, I -"

The older woman smiled sadly at her. "No, it's quite alright. It's the truth, after all. I just wanted to tell you this…" She stooped low enough to pluck a violet blooming on the ground. "Our family is like this flower; it's beautiful on the outside. But just as how I easily plucked this flower from its stem, the ties that bring our family together are quite weak. Some of us that are supposed to lead the clan even chose to carry or assume another name. And the rest of the family _clings_ to the name in false pride." She looked at her straight in the eye then, her expression dead serious. "You honored your grandfather when you said your vows. You were not born of our blood, but you proved yourself with your actions. In some ways, you are even more of a Kuchiki than most of us can ever hope to be. And that is another truth, Rukia. Believe in that."

She felt a tear drop, and she hastily bowed her head and wiped it away with the back of her sleeve. She felt a comforting hand on pat the top of her head, and she slowly looked up at her aunt in gratitude. She took a deep breath and felt her emotions settle. She only shed that one tear, and from now on, she will shed no more from the insecurity of being an adopted member of the Kuchiki.

"Yes," she replied in a clear voice. She bowed her head. "Thank you," she murmured sincerely.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo had never felt so… harassed in his life. The Kuchiki men and even the two retainers who insisted on coming with their eccentric giant of a master had drilled him with more questions than he could count. What made matters worse were the snide and suggestive comments thrown to him by baldy (Ikkaku) and peacock guy (Yumichika), immediately after which he'd earn the icy glare of Byakuya (and that was _**completely**_ _uncalled for_).

Now, he just gratefully enjoyed the silence of being alone. He was waiting outside the mansion for Rukia to finish her goodbyes. Their bags (another bag was added to the load he had to carry, thankfully smaller than the one Rukia already had) were set near him.

"Ah! The young master!" he heard someone exclaim. He looked at the person idly for a second before letting his attention drift somewhere else.

He heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and suddenly a figure popped up in his view.

"Gah!" he yelled in surprise, nearly tripping on the pile of bags at his feet. "Who the heck are you?!"

The dark-haired man laughed softly at him, and even Ichigo's glare didn't seem to faze him. "My name is Hanatarou," he said, bowing at his waist. Straightening up, he continued with a smile, "It's nice to finally meet you, Kurosaki Ichigo-sama!"

"…" _He couldn't be a Kuchiki, then. _No self-respecting**Kuchiki** would call a commoner such as himself like that. He was at a loss for words at that moment.

"Hana," a voice called. Rukia bounded down the short flight of steps towards them. "I'm sorry I hadn't been able to get you myself. I didn't expect my relatives to come visiting today," she explained in an apologetic voice.

She glanced at Ichigo, and he stared back. She rolled her eyes before smacking him on the arm, bringing him forward a couple of inches from where he originally stood.

"Ow," he said in a dead voice. He was starting to become immune to her smacks after the _**pain**_ of this afternoon. She frowned a little at him, realizing her usual blow hadn't affected him. He quickly recognized his error, and this time, he faked a pained expression. "I mean… _**Ow! **__What the heck, Rukia?_" he shouted, hoping she'd buy it. She arched a perfect eyebrow at him, as if to say, _yeah, right, as if I'd buy that. Your acting sucks. Ha-ha._

She patted his arm. "This is Ichigo. You may call him that, but you also have my permission to call him_ idiot _or _Strawberry_ or any other name you can think of."

Hanatarou just slid his gaze back and forth between the couple. "Ah… is that so. I think I'll just settle for Ichigo-san then, Rukia-san."

She smiled. "Okay."

A few minutes later, they got on the bus that would take them home. The bus made a hard turn right which made him slide closer to Rukia in their seat. He glanced at her, but she had a faraway look in her eyes and didn't even seem to notice. So he just stayed that way.

He continued to silently assess her form the corner of his eyes. Ever since she'd returned with her aunt, he'd noticed a subtle change in her. He couldn't quite put a finger on _why_ she did or _how _he even noticed, but the fact made him wonder. He was more than a little curious. When they first came to the manor, he'd always felt a slight hesitation from her, as if coming back wasn't a complete joy as it was supposed to be. Now, there's not even a slight hint of hesitation, and he even noticed the light skip on her steps, as if an invisible weight had been taken from her. Or it might just be that he was the one burdened with all their luggage and she took a perverse sort of pleasure from that. But somehow, he didn't think that last thought was really the reason… even when she regularly took pleasure in physically hitting him.

And so the thought plagued him even when they arrived in his house.

"I never thought something good would ever come out of this marriage," she suddenly commented in an offhand manner. He stared incredulously at her, which prompted her to give him a quick slap on his arm. "Don't stare at me like that!" she yelled.

He rubbed his arm. _Great, now she's upped the force of her blows. I knew I should have faked it earlier._ "Well, what the heck do you mean then?" he grumbled.

She turned her back on him on the guise of unlocking the front door. "I-it seems that my actions have earned the approval of the Kuchikis," she said softly. He had to strain his ear, but he heard it clearly enough.

"What do you have to earn their approval for?" he asked carefully.

"Well, you know, because I'm adopted… And I just, well, _needed_… the assurance."

He glared at her back, though his sudden rising anger wasn't aimed at her. "You're a Kuchiki," he said firmly. "Get it through your head, and get over it quickly. And when someone dares to say otherwise, well… you just kick their asses like you always kick mine." He had a smirk on his face by the end of his statement.

She opened the door, but didn't enter. Instead, she slowly turned around to face him. He couldn't quite see her expression for she was standing against the light. He only saw the way the light glowed around her shadowed figure, and then he suddenly felt the world dimming around him. _Like the light only centered on her_…

He mentally shook himself from that last thought.

"You're an idiot," she said bluntly. She moved as if to completely enter, but at the last second, she stilled. He saw a smirk slowly form on her lips.

"But you're right. Thank you," she said softly.

She left him to stand alone, still under the doorway.

From the nearby bushes, he thought he could hear some giggles, even a snicker.

_But that's not possible, right?_

Right.

-

-

_to be continued_

_-_

_-  
_


	8. Chapter 8

_-_

'_And all best things are thus confused to ill.' – Shelley, Prometheus (Unbound)_

-

--+--+--+--

**THE RAIN STARTS TO FALL**

--+--+--+--

"Rukia, have you seen my math notebook?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia looked up at him from the rim of her mug and casually lifted her shoulders up in a shrug. "Nope," she replied. She continued to sip her tea.

Ichigo scowled before stomping off upstairs back to his room.

Kurosaki Karin smirked from her perch on the counter. Really, if she didn't know any better, she'd have thought they were some old married couple. Oh, wait. They _were_ married, she supposed. She could just scratch the old part then, and the statement would be _true_.

When they got back from the Kuchiki estate, the rest of the Kurosaki family had actually seen the little exchange at the doorway. They'd been out for some dinner, but then they saw the two approaching, so they decided to play a trick on them. They were supposed to pop up from the bushes and scare the hell of them, but then Rukia spoke up, and then her dear brother had that weird look on his face, and well… Let's just say that they ended up listening in on the whole thing instead. Not that they purposely wanted to eavesdrop on them – hey, it was their fault they talked out on the front porch.

So the rest of the family was treated to that spot of entertainment that night. And they decided not to make mention of it.

"Hey," Yuzu whispered suddenly, "don't you think their relationship's progressing quite nicely?"

Karin rolled her eyes. "You really are still a child, Yuzu. For one thing, Rukia's still keeping her family name. And that really doesn't show a mark of progress. Besides, do you really think our brother's the type to confess his feelings?" She looked at the two older teens in question as they readied their things for school. "If a miracle happens, and the two somehow falls in love with each other, they'd have to swallow their prides first and admit to their selves that they did."

She turned to look at Yuzu seriously in the eye. "Rukia's stubborn, and our brother's not the most receptive or sensitive person when it comes to things like _love_. So when you look at it from this perspective," she sighed and shook her head, "I'm afraid those two still have a long way to go." She dragged on the word _long_ to make her point.

Yuzu pouted cutely, but nodded.

_I hope that miracle appears soon, though_, she added in her mind. _Coz in a week, or maybe even within the day, who knows… something might just happen to ruin what little chance they have._

--+--+--+--

For the second time that month, the teacher announced that a new student just transferred to their class. After giving them a very brief, impersonal introduction, the door to the room opened, and the new student came in.

Ichigo gave him a casual look-over. '_What's up with the tattooed eyebrows?'_ was his first thought. He was wearing the standard uniform, but somehow, it only marked him more as an outsider with the rest of the class. He didn't quite _fit._When Rukia first came about half a month ago, she didn't give off that kind of vibe.

The new guy with the wild red hair up in a ponytail skimmed his gaze over at the class, and when he stopped, Ichigo had to double back and make sure he wasn't just imagining things. _Did he just -?_

He never finished his thought for the redhead had smirked and made his way silently to an empty desk (which Ichigo never noticed beforehand) at the very back. As he did, Ichigo might as well have bored a hole through the student's back with the intensity of his scrutiny.

The teacher tapped her desk with a book to get their attention back. She proceeded to talk about their lesson, but Ichigo was only half-listening to the discussion. He kept sneaking glances at the new student, and each time he did, his apprehension only rose.

There was no doubt about it, he thought. He looked at Rukia's back, and saw that she was leaning forward rather stiffly on her seat. She wasn't really showing any other signs, but for him, that was enough.

He frowned.

Abarai Renji… who the heck are you?

--+--+--+--

_Three, two, one_, she counted quietly in her mind, gaze locked on to the clock mounted on the center of the wall. The bell rang exactly on time, and she shot up from her seat at the same instant. She earned curious looks from some students, but she paid them no mind. She was only focused on one thing, and the world could freeze over but Kuchiki Rukia will not be stopped.

She reached the corner of the class room in a few steps, but then she stopped a foot away from the desk where the man she knew since she was a child was smirking at her. For a moment, time stopped. Until, the smirk vanished from his face, and he said…

"Yo."

She crossed her arms in front of her. "Don't you 'Yo' me. What do you think you're doing?" she asked icily.

He leaned back on his seat and returned her icy glare. "You're one to talk. What are _you_ doing _here_?"

She arched an eyebrow. "What do you think a student normally does in a school?" she asked sarcastically.

"Rukia, do you know this guy?" a voice behind her asked.

"Yeah, he's a childhood friend," she answered without looking. Renji flicked his gaze at Ichigo, then back at her.

"Is he the reason you transferred?"

For a second, her heart pounded nervously. But then, Ichigo tapped her once on the shoulder, and she recovered in an instant.

"Of course not, dolt," she snapped.

"Then, what is?"

She glanced away. "I really don't have to explain myself to you."

"Then you don't have a right to question me, too," he replied tartly.

She glared at him for winning one up against her. His smirk was back.

"You better get back to your seat, Rukia," he said lazily, resting his feet on his desk.

"We're not done talking," she warned.

"Whatever."

She turned and found Ichigo staring intently at her. She shook her head and just muttered, "Later." He didn't question her outright, but she could tell he was really curious. They silently headed back to their seats, both wrapped up in their thoughts.

--+--+--+--

When lunch came, Ichigo's eyes immediately sought for the newcomer, but to his disappointment, he was already nowhere in sight. So they just continued on to the rooftop with the others like they usually did. Another classmate had joined them, and after being in the guy's company for a mere three minutes, Ichigo was ready to declare war on him. Seriously, this guy has some superiority issues, and he seemed to direct a decent amount of animosity to Ichigo that left him wonder what he ever did to deserve it.

"Even if that is your natural hair color," Ishida Uryuu was saying, "judging by the amount of unwanted attention you get from it, I can't help but ask why you're not dyeing it black to fit in."

Ichigo gritted his teeth. _Calm down_, he chanted in his mind. "I really don't see why you're poking your long nose into it since it's _my_ business."

Ishida pushed his glasses lightly back up on the bridge of his nose. Sunlight glinted from its surface that he had to blink a little to clear his vision.

"It's something any person with the ability to think, even remotely, would've normally done, given your circumstances."

Rukia had to hold the edge of his shirt to keep him from springing up and punching the guy.

"You -" he began angrily.

"What, Kurosaki?"

"Ichigo," Rukia suddenly spoke up from her seat. He looked down at her. "Why _do_ you choose to keep your hair that way?" she asked innocently.

"Not you, too," he grumbled in his breath. He sighed, sitting heavily back down on his seat on the floor. He saw the interested looks from the others, and he fumbled for the right words to say. "I-it's not like I don't want to fit in… I just don't get why I have to trouble myself and change how I look to get others' approval."

"You're right, Kurosaki-kun," Inoue spoke up. Ichigo was a bit surprised when she did; she normally avoided even looking at him, and now she was agreeing with him? Did the world suddenly spin off its axis when they were asleep or what?

"To keep your own ideals and wave them proudly up high in the air," she continued, now with a dreamy expression on her face. "Oh, how brave and utterly compelling you and your actions are!" She held up her hands in front of her, as if in prayer. "Please, carry on and inspire more people!" she gushed.

…_Inspire?_ Everyone sweat dropped, even Chad.

--+--+--+--

"Thanks… Bye," he spoke one last time into his phone before flipping it close.

Abarai Renji stared off at a distance, thoughts whirling. No matter what he did, no matter who he called, they all gave him the same answer – nothing. A deep bullshit full of nothing.

There was definitely something fishy going on about Rukia's current arrangement. First, her sudden request for school transfer. Then, he found out that she had left the Kuchiki estate to live somewhere in the middle of the small town of Karakura. He was lucky he even got the location of the school; he knew how tight-lipped people in the employ of the Kuchiki family were. It was a good thing a buddy of his from the student council back at the academy (who owed him a few hundred bucks) overheard Rukia when she spoke with the Principal, or he would have found out even later. It might have taken him a full month, even. Those hundred bucks meant nothing to him, anyway. He just wanted to know what all the secrecy's about and what it meant for Rukia.

It must be a scheme of Byakuya's. But what good reason would he have to send his only sister from an exclusive private school to a relatively unknown public one? He even risked her leaving the safety of the mansion to dwell in town just like a common person! The question plagued him to no end, and until he got his answers, he would never be satisfied.

Of course, he always gets uneasy whenever he parts with her. He'd always been there for her since childhood, and he personally didn't want that arrangement to change. But it did - and he would find out why. He's got enough patience for these sorts of situations, anyway.

--+--+--+--

The three of them finally faced off.

Just as Ichigo thought that they could leave the school without getting some sort of confrontation with the redhead, the said person appeared from a corner up ahead and planted himself in the middle of the street.

Ichigo immediately tensed. Rukia, meanwhile, was keeping her thoughts to herself. He guessed she wanted to gauge the other person's intentions first before saying anything.

"You two are beginning to look suspicious," the redhead finally said.

If Ichigo were an animal, this would be the time his hackles would rise.

"What the heck do you mean?" he asked tersely.

Red walked up to them a few steps. "Why are you walking home together?" he asked, ignoring his question.

Rukia finally spoke up. "We happen to live around the same block."

Renji raised an eyebrow at her. "Oh? That's not exactly right, Rukia. _Your house_ is located about an hour from here, and at the opposite direction to where you're headed."

Beside him, Rukia had seemed to be rooted in place.

Ichigo stepped forward. "She moved out. Big deal."

The other man looked him up and down. "Why are you acting up, man? Are you her boyfriend, or a goddamn bodyguard?" He snorted. "Coz you neither look like one."

Ichigo was starting to get pissed for real. _So what if he was neither? I'm only her fucking _husband_, you prick!_

Instead, he just bit out, "And what about you? You're _just_ a friend too, right? So why do you care so much?" He huffed in annoyance. "Whatever. It doesn't matter, anyway." He grabbed Rukia's arm and started to drag her away. "C'mon, we're going."

"Oi, what are you doing?!" Renji asked angrily, grabbing onto his shirt to keep him from going any further.

He shrugged out from his grasp. "Saving her from having to deal with the likes of you," he answered in a sneer.

"What?! You bastard!"

He was suddenly pushed from behind. "Enough!" Rukia shouted, glaring at the two men. Ichigo let out a breath and childishly crossed his arms, staring off at a nearby wall. She rolled her eyes at his antics.

"Idiot," she said in a softer voice, "I don't need saving. Especially from Renji."

Said redhead snorted, which immediately earned him a whack on the head.

"Ow! Rukia, we're not kids anymore!" he whined.

This time, it was Rukia's turn to snort. "Just look at yourself! If you don't want to get scolded by me so much, then why don't you try to start acting like an adult?" Ichigo started to smirk, but stopped when he saw Rukia's icy stare flick briefly at him.

She turned her attention back to Renji. "You can't act like this every time I leave. I know you've always been by my side, but you have got to let me deal with things by myself from now on." She gave him a small smile. "You don't need to know all my reasons. But if you're really my friend, you'll try to understand and trust me. Will you?"

He took a long time in answering. When he finally did, he sighed. "Alright, I won't ask anymore. And, of course I trust you." But then, he glared at Ichigo. "But I don't trust the other people around you, especially _him_! So whatever you say, I'll still be keeping an eye out for you, Rukia."

Rukia's expression darkened. Ichigo inwardly flinched.

"Argh!" she yelled out in frustration, throwing up her hand in the air. "**Men**! I just can't deal with you and your stupid sense of pride!" She huffed away, still fuming.

Ichigo began to follow her, but then stopped to look at Renji one last time.

"I understand that you feel the need to worry. I should be grateful she has someone like you to watch out for her all the time. But I also won't let anything bad happen to her." He looked him hard in the eye. "I promise you that."

With those parting words, he finally turned and walked off, not once looking back this time.

--+--+--+--

They got back without any more incidents. Now, after dinner, Rukia stood up to finish her homework in the living room, and Ichigo followed.

They found respective places to get comfy, with Rukia lying on her stomach on the sofa, and Ichigo on the floor leaning back against a couch.

He casually began while flipping through his notes. "So Renji… he's a childhood friend? You're pretty close, huh?"

Rukia stared at him. "Yes," she replied slowly, "we are close." She looked back down to the open book in front of her. "There weren't many kids in the Kuchiki, so I only had three other playmates. One of them was Renji."

"So he's a distant relative?" he asked curiously. Somehow, he doubted that.

She shook her head absently, her attention still on the book. "His ancestors originally served under my family, but a relative of his married off to an offshoot of Kuchiki years ago, so the servant-master relationship effectively got severed."

He looked up at the ceiling in thought. "So… He still retains some inner instinct to serve your family… and that's the reason why he's overprotective of you?"

She looked at him with a little frown. "You know what, that's a little offensive, but I'll let it pass."

"Oh, no, that's not what I -" he started to protest.

She raised a hand to cut him off. "I said it's alright. It stings a bit, but when you put it that way, it does make sense." She paused to think over her words. "Now that I think about it, he _was_ under my brother's wing for some time. I'm not sure exactly what for, but he said it was 'training'." She glanced back down. "So I guess you're right, after all."

An awkward silent stretched between them, for which Ichigo mentally hit himself on the head. He could be such an insensitive idiot sometimes. He looked at Rukia, trying to see past her indifferent expression, but it seemed like she had put up her walls from him again. _'Idiot'_ he silently scolded himself.

He wanted to ask about the other two persons she mentioned a while ago, but he didn't. He'd said enough for today.

--+--+--+--

Renji phone rang in the middle of the night. He glanced at it, contemplating if he should answer it. He reluctantly got up from his bed to get it.

"Hello," he greeted monotonously.

"Renji," a familiar male voice spoke.

He brightened. "Hey, haven't heard from you in a while." He trudged off to a nearby chair and sat. "What's up?"

"How is everyone?"

He smirked. "Huh. What's with 'everyone'? We both know there's only one person you're truly concerned about."

There was a long pause. Finally, the person on the other end chuckled lightly. "Yeah, you're right. So let me ask again… How is _she_?"

He considered his words. She wasn't really in trouble, he saw that, but with her current circumstances, he was still a little concerned about her.

"She-she's okay."

"…"

"Hey, are you still there?"

"Something's up, huh?" the other guy spoke, "...And you're not telling me." He heard a clink against glass in the background. "It doesn't matter now, though." Renji flicked his gaze at the clock on his bed stand. He quickly calculated it to be late in the afternoon where he is. _That guy_ must be having a drink to go with his book at some classy café. Knowing him, it'd be iced tea with a touch of lemon.

"…"

"Renji… I'm coming back home."

Renji grinned. "I knew that's what you'd say."

-

-

_to be continued_

_-_

_-_

* * *

_A/N: Alright-y.. For the succeeding chapters, I'm planning on doing a certain _shift _with how the story progresses.. um, i don't really know how to explain myself.. but, when you read it, you'll know what i mean (hopefully).. thanks for those who reviewed so far (i mean, really, THANKS!).. i hope you'd continue to share your thoughts on the story.. you can't imagine how powerful your reviews are to me.. and i really need guidance for what i'm about to do.. *wiping sweat from forehead*_


	9. Chapter 9

_Envy_

_It is like a disease that slowly inflicts the body._

_-_

_Jealousy_

_It is often seen as envy. But unlike envy, it feeds on the pain and is more deadly._

_-_

_Wrath_

_It is a burning fire that devours a soul in an instant._

_-_

_Lust_

_It is a vice that flaunts its ugliness._

_-_

_Revenge_

_It is an instrument of evil that thrives in shadows, and takes delight in the other's pain._

_-_

We are like the moon.

We all have a dark side we want no one else to see.

(Mark Twain)

_-_

_The rain pours, and the darkness spreads._

_The story takes an unexpected twist…_

This is just the beginning.

-

--+--+--+--

**THE SHADOW THAT NO LONGER HIDES**

--+--+--+--

(_Six and a half years ago)_

"_Emergency at room 15! Call the doctor in charge!'_

_The hallway was filled with apprehension, as everything seemed to be in rapid motion. Nurses walked briskly in opposite directions in their pristine white uniforms. A few patients hanged out at a nearby lounge, trying to live in a semblance of normalcy beyond the despair of their physical and mental afflictions. Relatives of patients who needed immediate medical attention nervously stood and paced about. It was a dreary sight._

_At the end of the hall was a room enclosed in glass. But inside, the silence was almost never welcome._

_One man finally broke the quiet. "I believe we have to chance it." Broad-rimmed glasses hung from the pocket of his doctor's coat, and dark locks covered most of his left eye._

_"You may be right," a doctor with silver hair said. His gaze was on the sheaf of papers on his hand. "While her case is relatively uncommon, current researches have shown some optimistic probabilities." He looked at one of his colleagues in particular. "I'm all for it."_

_The third doctor, a lanky man with unruly pale blond hair, stroked his chin in a thoughtful manner. "We have to remember though, once the treatment starts, the patient is put into an even more unstable condition. Can we really risk it? She's in a critical state as it is."_

_The owner of the hospital had an unreadable look on his face. "You said it yourself, Kisuke. Even if we don't do anything, she's not getting any better. In fact, her life's slipping away at this very moment. Unless you know of a more potent solution, the current treatment is all we can administer."_

_Urahara Kisuke clasped his hands behind his back. "I know what you're trying to say… It's just, after_**that**_ rare one, I've been a little more cautious in dealing with these types of cases. I don't wish for this situation to end up the same way five years ago."_

_Ishida Ryuuken clamped a hand on his shoulder. "You are not called a genius for nothing, Urahara. If a doctor doesn't believe in his own abilities, then what will happen to his patients?" Urahara looked away._

_Aizen Sousuke gave a small smile. To Kisuke, it only looked eerie, and it was beyond him how most of the female nurses thought it charming._

_"Besides, if something were to happen, we can always put the blame on _him,_" Ryuuken continued with a hard glint in his eyes. "It's his case originally, after all."_

_"He's still grieving," Urahara tried to defend of his absentee friend._

_"It's been two months, he can't just abandon his work," Ryuuken threw over his shoulder. He stopped when he got to the sliding glass door. "In fact, he's already filed for an early retirement. He said he'd be concentrating on his family now, or something," he muttered before smoothly walking out into the hall._

_Aizen looked at him briefly before he, too, walked out of the room._

_When he was the only one left, Urahara breathed a heavy sigh._

I hope this time would work out alright_, he thought._

--+--+--+--

"You have to do your share, too," Ichigo said, pushing the front door open.

Rukia had a stubborn set on her jaw. "I don't want to," she bit out, following him in.

He gave a long-suffering sigh.

A loud "Ichigo!" was heard coming from the kitchen, and a hyper Isshin bounded towards them a moment later. He had his arms outstretched before him and was just about to envelope his son in what would have been a bone-breaking hug had Ichigo not place both of his hands on his father's face, and a foot on his chest, to keep him safely away.

"Argh! What do you want?!" he growled in annoyance.

"Aw, Ichigo, I just wanted to share with you some big news!"

He looked at his dad in suspicion before leaping a safe foot away. He lifted Rukia, in a manner like lifting some piece of slim furniture or something, and placed her between him and his dad for cover.

Her eyes widened a bit, and then her features tightened into a scowl. She scowled even more when she realized that Ichigo's personality was rubbing off quick on her normally calm and collected Kuchiki self. She didn't move an inch away, even so.

Isshin just raised a brow. "Well, anyway," he said as he scratched at his jaw, "there was this really mysterious guy - an 'emissary' or something, he described of himself - and he told us that we had just won the jackpot."

The way he told it, it would seem like he was only talking about some cat he noticed earlier. Thus, Ichigo stared at him with a blank expression. "You mean, like a lottery?"

"Yes."

Rukia gave him a bright smile. "Wow, Ichigo, congratulations! You won! You totally have to treat me something good this week, and the next too, okay?'

He smacked a palm on his forehead. "Geez, Rukia, don't just believe what my dad says! You should know better than that already!" She looked like she was about to start giving him a sermon on who exactly needed to know better, so he muttered quickly, "My family doesn't even do those games of luck."

She tilted her head at him before frowning at Isshin. "Uncle, what you said, it's not true?"

He had an impish grin on his face. "It wasn't from the lottery, yeah, but everything else I've said was true. I swear!"

Ichigo scowled. "Oi, quit kidding around, old man. You're just pulling our leg, aren't you?"

His dad huffed and crossed his arms almost childishly. "I assure you, I am not, but if you keep doubting and annoying me, you really won't see even a cent of that small fortune."

He rubbed the back of his neck. "I don't really care -" he started to say.

Rukia clamped her hand around his mouth, causing him to choke on his own words. "Ho! Ho! Don't mind him, uncle! Do go on… If it's not the lottery, then what's it all about?"

Ichigo successfully pushed her hand away. He turned to glare at her, but her focus was on his dad, so he glared at him instead.

Just then, Yuzu popped up from somewhere and placed herself between the three of them.

"Apparently," she explained with a cute smile, "we inherited something from grandfather Hayato's family."

There was silence from the two fifteen-year-olds, while the other two Kurosakis waited with expectant looks on their faces.

Finally, Ichigo looked away and muttered, "I'm going up to my room now."

Rukia stared at his rigid back for a few seconds before she, too, excused herself. She headed for the room she shared with the twins.

The two that remained looked at each other in confusion.

"I wonder what's wrong… Aren't they glad about the news?" Yuzu asked in a small voice.

Isshin just nodded at her in a comic fashion, both hands clasped in front of him.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo sat slumped on the edge of his bed, deep in thought. He'd changed into more comfortable clothes, and he'd already laid out some notes on his desk to pore on after dinner. For now, he was troubled over what his family told him earlier.

He'd only just learned about his grandfather's past sometime this month, and he'd been properly shocked upon hearing it. He'd always thought that his dear grandfather was a normal enough kind of guy; he was neither too serious nor too foolish, unlike his only child Isshin. Ichigo remembered, when he was young, Hayato exuded a light-hearted air about him. He never seemed to be burdened with anything too deeply. He didn't walk in too proud a manner. In fact, he was quick to offer his back for anyone who needed support to lean on. Who would have thought he'd had quite a sheltered childhood, and that he was cut off from his own family just because he fell in love with someone like Ichigo's grandmother?

He couldn't imagine how hard it must be for someone like him to suddenly be thrown into a relatively 'unknown world' of normalcy without the support of the people he'd known all his life. And now those people, or more likely, their descendants, had finally acknowledged that Katsuragi Hayato did exist, and had been of their own blood.

_Why now, though?_ His grandfather had been dead for almost eight years. And _that _was what worried him.

_This whole deal stinks_, he thought. But then, he was forced out of his thoughts by a slight knock on his door. He straightened up and was about to get it, but Rukia had already let herself in. She stopped in the middle of his room.

He looked slightly to her left, keeping his gaze on the dark hair above her ear.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'll be heading over to Renji's place," she muttered, keeping her own gaze on the level with his chest. "He wanted me to accompany him while he gets 'acquainted' with the rest of the town." There was a slight pause, and then she suddenly looked up at him with a grin. "I just think he misses my company. He's always complaining that you're hogging me too much to yourself."

"Yeah, right," he kidded back. "You're the one who sticks like glue, ever since…"

She rolled her eyes, and then nodded at him. "Don't think about it too much," she said in a serious tone.

He looked back at her innocently. "I'm not really thinking about anything in particular."

"Sure, like you didn't make that awkward exit earlier when your father told you about the inheritance." She patted him on the arm. "I know of other cases like Hayato-dono's. Rich people are just stubborn like that, but like the saying goes, 'time heals everything'. Well, almost everything."

He grunted noncommittally, "Yeah, I know."

She hit him lightly with the back of her hand. He raised a brow. Lately, she hadn't been hitting him that much whenever he's done something stupid _in her eyes_. It felt like they were finally getting closer, but then the idea that he might be getting too attached to the little imp scared him a bit. So he decided not to think too much on it.

"Good, coz the depressed and bothered look doesn't really suit you." She grinned.

He strangely didn't take the bait.

"So, anyways, tell your family I'm leaving and not to bother setting my plate. We'd be grabbing a bite at a family diner near his street." She gave a little wave and started to walk out.

"Wait, Rukia," he called out.

She turned around and looked at him questioningly.

"Yeah?" she asked.

"Thanks," he blurted out. He lowered his head and mussed his hair a bit, looking at her through the shadow that the short strands of hair that stuck out near his temple created. He had to get his hair cut soon, he thought idly. He focused back on Rukia, who currently looked like she was caught doing something unladylike.

"Uh… Hah. I haven't really done anything," she said in a small voice.

"Don't get lost," he smirked. Was that the beginnings of a blush on her usually pale cheeks?

She huffed, and the barely noticeable red tint was gone. "I'm not a total idiot like you."

"Yeah, yeah," he said, grabbing her by the shoulders. He turned her around and gave her a slight push out his door.

"Hey, I know my own way, thank you very much!" she protested.

"Nine," he said before shutting the door.

There was a pause, like she was contemplating on that one word. Then he heard her shout from the other side, "Nine?! Geez, you're like an old man! Make it ten o'clock!"

"Fine! Just be sure to be home by then!" he yelled back. He didn't hear her footsteps, and as the seconds ticked by, he was getting more and more tempted to just join her despite the misgivings he had of ruining the little reunion between the two childhood friends.

"Alright… I'll be home by nine-thirty," Rukia said in a murmur that he almost missed. His grip on the doorknob slackened, and he felt his muscles relax. The footfalls finally came, and he sighed, pulling himself away from the door.

A minute later, he drew away from the window he'd been watching from and came down the stairs for dinner.

--+--+--+--

"And that vacant lot is where the carnival's going to be put up next month," Rukia said, pointing at it.

She and Renji had already walked for quite a distance from his block, and she was just enjoying the town in its quiet night time look. Ichigo had given her 'the tour' the very week she first arrived, but it had been on daylight hours. The streets got their fair share of traffic in the commercial side, and there'd been lots of people wandering around, too. Now, only a couple and a car or two can be seen on the streets in a minute, and sometimes, they can't even see a soul for some time.

"Hey, Rukia, I heard from _him_ a while ago," Renji suddenly said in a casual manner.

Rukia stilled for a moment before continuing in stride. "And, how are they?"

He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. "He's doing well with his studies, as expected. She, on the other hand, decided to take up music lessons from a well-known instructor." He knew the other man's name was taboo when it comes to Rukia, so he took to calling him a mere 'he' every time he broached the subject.

"Ah, good for her," she said with a smile.

He almost looked away. They'd been so close when they were young, and now, she couldn't even show him an honest face. He knew she felt betrayed by the other two, but she never let it show to anyone. He wondered if he'd ever get the chance to lend her his shoulder to cry on. She always looked so strong, but like any other person, she had a weak side that she desperately tries to hide under her cool façade. He knew because he'd seen it once. A month after '_he_' left, three years ago, Renji visited the Kuchiki estate for his last training. He was just about to proceed to the outdoor cabin when he happened to glimpse dark hair near the pond. Short, dark hair could mean Rukia, so he detoured and headed the other way. And there she was. She huddled near the edge, staring at her reflection, and he would have approached her if he hadn't noticed the tears that were falling silently from her eyes. She didn't make a sound, but he thought in pain that it might be because she'd been crying like this for too long already that only the salty water could be squeezed from her soul.

He'd been too much of a coward to offer then, but now… he never wanted for something to happen again that might make her _**need**__ his shoulder_.

Renji changed the subject back to their surroundings, and Rukia was glad for it. They exchanged comments about the town back and forth like they were playing, the topic earlier all but pushed to the back of their minds.

Renji then said something, and she replied automatically. She turned her gaze to the side to look for another place of interest and instead, saw the shadow of a man stumbling on a rock and hitting the side of the metal trash bin. The metal fell with a loud clang, and the man cursed loudly. She could barely see the spiky-haired figure lean down to tend to his hurt toe. For a moment, she thought it was Ichigo, but then she realized that the figure was a bit taller and his spikes a little longer. Besides, she was sure Ichigo's bright hair would stand out even in the dark. In fact, she recalled the first few nights she lived in his house. She was at the adjusting stage, so she couldn't sleep well. After that first night, he'd continued to accompany her on his rooftop to gaze at the stars. It lasted for a whole week, and after that, she didn't want to be a burden to him so she'd forced herself not to sneak to his room for access to the roof. She was surprised to find herself sleeping quite peacefully without needing to stay up. Ichigo hadn't questioned her about the sudden stop to her nighttime habit.

Well, the point was, it had always secretly amused her to see Ichigo's profile in the dark. He was like a barely-lit candle, with the flame kept to a mere glow. _A glowing candle… among the sea of stars that were mere pinpricks in the vast universe_, she thought. Such a bright picture didn't really match Ichigo, but the thought stuck in her mind.

She didn't notice that she was smiling until Renji pointed it out to her.

"Huh?" she asked, patting her cheeks. _I was smiling… while thinking of Ichigo?_

She was saved from any sort of answer when the man who stumbled finally came into the light. No, he was not Ichigo, but she knew him. The harsh glare of the street light didn't flatter his features, but she'd know him anywhere.

He stopped when he noticed her staring at him from across the street. She took a small step forward, hardly daring to believe her luck.

"Ah, it's you," Renji said easily to the other man.

The dark-haired man waved and strode over to them in a few steps.

"Yo!" he greeted jovially. He grinned at Rukia, ruffling the hair at the top of her head.

She gripped his hand to stop him from further messing with her hair. They're a pain when they tangled.

"Kaien-dono! What are you doing here?!" she finally said.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo hurriedly looked out at the window when he heard a slight noise. To his disappointment, it was only a stray dog digging himself a hole in the yard. Yuzu's going to fuss about her flowers come morning, he thought.

He leaned back again to a more comfortable position on the couch. He checked the clock on the far wall for what would be the twelfth time that night. Nine forty.

Geez, that Rukia. Did she get lost or something? I should have gone ahead and joined that idiot. How could she get lost in such a small town like Karakura?

He sighed.

"Don't worry too much. I'm sure she just forgot the time because she's having _so much fun with her guy… friend_," Isshin said teasingly from the door connecting to the clinic.

Ichigo threw a cushion at him. His dad playfully dodged, then skipped back to the clinic.

He wasn't really worrying about Renji… that much. It was the other alternatives which popped into his head that made his pulse race in anxiety.

Be safe, idiot.

_-_

_-_

_to be continued..._

_-_

_-_

* * *

_A/N: Yosh! Finally, an update! Whew! Sorry, my schedule's a little crazy (and my personal life, too, but when did _that _stop being crazy?), so it took me a while to work on this._

_._

_The shift that I've been talking about _is _there, or so I hope... Is it too subtle to notice?_

_._

_Alright, so I've originally planned for this story to be just light-hearted and stuff, but then.. I realized the story would be dull with just that. As such, 'my' characters (or Rukia and Ichigo as I made them out to be in this fic) had to grow, and situations had to develop.. I saw potential material, so I used some simple circumstances mentioned earlier in the story to weave a more complex web of fiction. Simply put, I changed the flow of the story, and there'd be more drama and suspense in the next chapters (or so).. But the humor and the fluff would still be present.. :D So there. Hope this chapter did not disappoint you guys much.._

.

_Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention.. The introductory part found here not only pertains to this chapter, but for the following chapters as well.. I just want to point that out, since some of you may get confused why it's there when those 'dark elements' I mentioned are not even written yet.._


	10. Chapter 10

--+--+--+--

**THE WATER IS DEEPER THAN YOU THINK**

--+--+--+--

"Ichigo?" she called out in surprise.

Kuchiki Rukia closed the front door as quietly as she could before she tiptoed to the couch, where an orange-haired teen lay sprawled with half a limb hanging.

She called out his name again to be sure. She was only answered with a light snore.

She'd never before seen him asleep, and she was curious as to what kind of expression he'd be wearing, so she crouched down to his level and moved her face as close as she dared.

While the creases on his forehead had smoothened, there was still a somewhat worried look on him that she could not comprehend. Was he perhaps having a troubling dream? She instinctively reached out her hand, but then caught herself. She glanced at him and saw his brow lower to a mild frown. Reassuring herself that he won't be waking up soon, she decided. She softly stroked the top of his head.

His hair was softer than what she expected. Oddly enough, she felt like she was stroking the fur of one of her stuffed bear collections. The sensation brought a half-smile to her lips - that, and the thought of 'cute and cuddly' somehow being associated with Ichigo. Soon, his expression relaxed, and she felt a sort of relief flow through her too.

Now that she'd examined him closer, she thought that the grouch _could_ be considered cute. He had long lashes, for a guy, but it didn't lessen his manliness. Her eyes swept his closed lids down to his strong jaw. _If only he smiled more often, he'd have the girls at school falling for him_. But as soon as the thought crossed her mind, she found it unsettling and immediately shook it off. No, Ichigo without the perpetual scowl would just be too weird. He'd be like… someone like Mizuiro. Well, that would be just troublesome. She'd choose the Ichigo she _knew, _any time.

She fought off the urge to yawn. A quick look to the wall clock showed it was close to eleven. She hadn't expected to come home later than she'd promised, but it couldn't be helped. Shiba Kaien had come back to Japan, and she couldn't miss the opportunity to talk to him. But now she had a problem: how could she explain why she had broken her promise to Ichigo?

She sighed. Well, there's not much to worry, anyway. She'd only stayed out for an hour more, and besides, nothing bad had happened to her. Ichigo would understand.

She got up and went upstairs to change. But then she came back down again with a fresh blanket she got from the supply cabinet at the hall between the two rooms, and she placed the said blanket to cover Ichigo's sleeping form.

Feeling somewhat like a concerned mother, she ruffled his hair one last time and whispered a quick 'goodnight' before finally going to her room to sleep.

--+--+--+--

_Rukia!_

Ichigo shot up from the couch and looked around. It was still dark outside, but he knew it must be close to dawn already. He stretched out his arms and felt a slight fatigue to them. Well, that's what you get for trying to fit a man his size to sleep in the living room couch.

Then he remembered the reason why he'd fallen asleep on the couch in the first place. He frowned. _Did she come home alright? Seriously, she could have called or something._ He dropped his arms back to his lap, and that's when he felt the blanket that had pooled down to his waist. _Now, when did this get here?_ He thought it might have been his dad, so he left it at there. He got up with the blanket and trudged up the stairs. When he got to the landing, he immediately checked the girls' room. Seeing the huddled form on the middle bed, his frown vanished. _Ah, good, she got back fine._

He hesitated for a moment, but went in anyway. Careful to keep his steps light, he got over to Rukia's side and stood near the bed. Only Rukia's face poked out from the sheets, but the stray lock of hair that always managed to fall in the middle of her brow now covered her left eye, so he bent down and lightly tucked it behind her ear. The action made her stir a little, and that in turn made him freeze. When her light, even breathing confirmed that she _was_ still asleep, he breathed a soft sigh of relief.

He glanced around at the room and saw through the dim light from outside that Rukia had at least placed some of her own knickknacks on the long desk near the window. He'd been afraid that she might have not felt at ease enough to show more of herself to the rest of his family, but seeing the little bunny figures eased his mind.

Smirking one last time to the sleeping girl, he crossed the small distance to the hall and softly pulled the door close. Soon, he was in his own room, and slept for what remained of the early morning hours until his alarm would wake him up again to get ready for school.

--+--+--+--

_Understand, my foot_, she thought in annoyance.

He was okay when she greeted him a good morning. But when she told him what had happened last night during breakfast, he'd somehow gotten angry at her. And that irked her to no end. Why did she expect him to be understanding, anyway? This was _the idiot_ we are talking about here. She should have known he'd react that way.

She turned her face and pretended to look outside the window, but she was actually sneaking a glance at his direction. He was facing the front of the class like a good student listening to the lecture, but she could see the slightly glazed look in his eye that indicated his mind was _elsewhere_. She also noticed that his scowl was even worse than normal. She straightened back up in her seat and huffed out a breath. _Ugh. How long is he going to hold the matter against her? How childish._

She knew thinking more about the orange-head was just going to annoy the hell out of her, so she focused her attention on the teacher instead.

There's nothing quite like a boring lecture to calm and soothe irritated nerves.

--+--+--+--

Shiba Kaien had to duck his head so he won't be seen by the guard as he entered the school gates. He had actually been standing outside for quite some time before he finally spotted the students start to flow out of the main school building at lunchtime. He used that opportunity to stroll as casually as possible towards the school and just vanish in the crowd so he could get inside.

When he had crossed quite a distance from the gate, he breathed a sigh of relief. His trademark grin showed on his face and he had to keep himself from bursting into full-blown laughter. He didn't want to be discovered now that he'd actually gotten in just because he couldn't contain a loud burst of emotion.

He looked up and glanced at the building. _Really, what was Byakuya thinking?_He actually couldn't believe that the man had allowed his only sister to enroll in a public school, much less leave the safety of his side. The official version, coming from both Rukia and Byakuya's lips, was that Rukia had merely been given the opportunity to live like a normal teen, and to be able to experience more of the world outside of the luxurious and rich life she'd been used to. While that might have been one of the reasons, he didn't believe for a second that there was nothing else to it.

Now, to surprise that little brat…

He chuckled in glee and started up the stairs.

--+--+--+--

Something was happening to Inoue Orihime, but for the life of her, she didn't know exactly what it was.

Lately, she had been asking Tatsuki a lot of questions, and just last week, her best friend had finally snapped and questioned _her_ about it. When confronted, she found that she had nothing that could qualify as an explanation, and now she was stuck with an awful feeling of not knowing. Did she really not understand herself enough?

She was so out of it that she didn't even see the man that was coming up the stairs. She suddenly found herself colliding with a hard chest and she had to grip the metal rails to keep from falling.

"Ah, sorry, I wasn't looking," the man apologized in a slightly embarrassed tone.

She rubbed the back of her neck as she bowed her head. "No, it was my fault too. I wasn't paying attention," she murmured. When she looked up, she had to swallow a gasp. _This man… he looked exactly like Kurosaki-kun!_

The almost doppelganger scratched his unruly dark hair and grinned at her. _Nope, this man couldn't be Kurosaki-kun. He never grinned mischievously like that._

"Ah, this is sudden, but could I ask you something?" he asked.

She was still a bit dazed, but she somehow managed to answer, "Sure... What is it?"

"I'm actually looking for someone, around this height," he gestured near his chest, "with dark hair, and big dark purple eyes. Her name is Kuchiki Rukia. Do you know her?"

She blinked. _He's looking for Kuchiki-san? Wow, she even knew this person who looked like Kurosaki-kun! So it must be true… that they were relatives. This man must be a cousin of theirs or something._

He was still looking at her, and it took her a few more seconds to realize that he was waiting for her to reply.

"Oh my, I'm sorry! Yes, I know Kuchiki-san!" she answered quickly.

His features brightened. "Well, that's great! Could you tell me where she might be?"

She almost answered 'the rooftop' before she remembered that she had gone downstairs. It looked like she was heading to the cafeteria. So she told him that instead.

He again flashed a toothy grin and thanked her before heading back down the stairs.

She shook her head and took the usual trip up to the rooftop.

--+--+--+--

Ichigo frowned at the wall before taking the steps down two at a time. _That Rukia… why did she have to be as stubborn as him? _Now he had to find her in the cafeteria and make up to her. It was annoying, but he couldn't let it continue like this between them. Well, it had been his fault - kind of – that the situation grew out of proportion.

It was lucky he ran into Inoue just as she entered, or he would have wasted time on searching where the heck that woman was. And when he said 'ran into', he meant it literally. While he held her on both arms to keep her from falling, she had sputtered out to him what had happened. He'd thanked her with a brief grateful smile, but what Inoue had said bothered him. And she was even a little flustered when she told him. He'd immediately excused himself.

He had a cousin that looked a lot like him? He shook his head. That was impossible, as both his parents did not have any siblings. He didn't bother to correct her though.

When he got to the doorway, he quickly scanned the crowd for Rukia. He found her sitting near the corner.

As he drew near, he saw what must be the back of the man Inoue had mistakenly labeled as a relative of his. And Rukia was talking to the dark-haired man like nothing was wrong with the world. In fact, she was so engrossed that she didn't even notice him standing near their table.

The dark-haired man did, however, and he looked up at him. As soon as he did, both men sported identical looks of surprise on their faces.

"Who-who the heck are you?!" Ichigo screeched.

Rukia blinked at his voice and turned to him with a glare. "Fool, keep your voice down, will you?" She gestured at the seat near her. "Sit down," she said in a commanding voice.

He immediately sat down, still staring at the other man. Rukia propped her chin on one hand and examined them.

"Wow, I didn't even notice, but you sure look a lot like the other," she commented in a light-hearted manner.

He turned to her. "Who is he?" he asked, pointing at his direction.

She slapped his hand back. "It's rude to point, Ichigo. Didn't any one tell you that?" She bowed her head to the other man, and smiled apologetically. "Forgive his lack of manners, Kaien-dono."

Ichigo glared at him.

"Ah, don't worry about it. I'm not in the least offended," he said easily. He held out a hand. "I'm Shiba Kaien. It's nice to finally meet you, my doppelgänger."

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he replied, but refused to take the proffered hand.

Kaien looked a bit shaken by his reply, and the hand that he'd raised had dropped back down to his lap. _Now what the heck was happening? _He looked at Kaien in confusion.

Kaien lowered his head, and the other two missed the hard glint that showed in his eyes. He didn't move for quite some time, and Ichigo thought it was because he couldn't get over their likeness in appearance. Heck, even he was shaken by it.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, huh…" Kaien mused out loud, looking up. He suddenly patted Ichigo roughly on the arm. "Nice to meet you, cousin," he said in a bright voice.

He couldn't immediately answer, but when he did, he could only ask stupidly, "What?

--+--+--+--

Shiba Kaien left the school in a darker mood. He didn't expect for this development to happen. He quickly got into his parked car and drove around town for a bit to calm himself.

When he got the call, he honestly did not know what to do. It had been years since her death, but he hadn't stopped grieving. And then he learned that he was related to _that man_. It felt like the world had told him a very bad joke. The urge to take revenge was there, but he did not want to lose himself to that. So he decided to face his demons and came back, even though being in Japan made the ghosts of the past return to haunt him. But he didn't realize how hard it would be. He even got drunk the night he came back. And that was when he met up with Rukia and her childhood friend. The Abarai kid had looked at him curiously, like he wanted to ask him what's wrong. He knew he wasn't the same man he'd been years ago, after her death. He still smiled to the rest of the world, but his heart had long since frozen. He was thankful the question never came. And he managed to leave their company an hour later without his mask slipping.

He stopped the car near a boulevard and got out.

He took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and stuck it to his mouth. He couldn't remember exactly when he had started to smoke, but it had now become a habit. He leaned back on his car and stared up at a tree. _It was near that time already, huh?_ A wind blew, and couple of brown leaves fell.

When he met that kid, though, he almost could not stop himself from trembling. He even looked a lot like him. And he was painfully reminded of the child he'll never have. He knew it was wrong to take it out on Ichigo, though. And even more, Rukia was there. He was reluctant to let her see _that _side of him. He smirked. That brat had idolized him before, and he couldn't just let her down like that. Miyako would not forgive him.

He closed his eyes and sighed. _Man, this feeling sucks._

--+--+--+--

"I could not believe you told him _that!_" he complained yet again.

Rukia let out an expletive under her breath. "Ichigo," she slowly said, "I could not possibly keep a secret from that man. I owe him my life."

He growled at her. "Yeah, yeah, I know. But still... a private matter like that, it's not like he was privy even to the most intimate details of your life. And I could not believe that same man was the reason you broke your promise!"

"I just don't find anything wrong with telling him. He's even _your_ relative; and practically my relative too. So the rule '_no one else should find out about the marriage outside of family'_ was not technically broken," she pointed out smartly.

"A relative I didn't even know existed until now," he said flatly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Irrelevant. Besides, he almost pieced everything on his own even without me telling him."

_Irrelevant?!_ How could she treat something like that as irrelevant? "But you _confirmed _it for him."

She waved her hand dismissively. "Anyway, you heard what he said. He wants you to visit the Katsuragi estate as soon as you can."

He was quiet for a long time.

She stopped in front of him and peered at him. "I know you're apprehensive about the inheritance thing, that's why I think it would be better to meet your other relatives before your family does. It would be better to test the water first before you dive deep into its depths."

He looked back at her with a still undecided look in his eyes.

She grinned at him. "C'mon, don't tell me you are not even the least bit interested in what they're like?"

"Not particularly," he muttered, looking away.

She followed him so that he had no choice but to face her again. "I've met Kaien-dono's siblings, and they're not half-bad." She frowned a little. "Though, Kuukaku has a terrible disposition, not unlike yours, sometimes."

He raised a brow at her. "What do you mean by that?" But then, he shook his head. "Whatever. I guess what you're saying does make sense. I should meet them first so I'd know what I'm up against."

It was her turn to raise an eyebrow. "You sound like you're going to fight them, instead of just meeting them."

He smirked. "Oh, you just wait and see. People are not as innocent and easy-going as you may seem to think. And there are always a lot of people who'd do anything for money."

They continued to walk the remaining distance to his house.

--+--+--+--

She looked at them from a distance, a tight knot of feelings in her stomach.

She hadn't noticed before, but the two of them had been walking home in the same direction. And now she understood. They _lived_ in the same house.

She knew they said that they were relatives, but she couldn't help the unease creep up her gut.

Her earlier question had been answered. She liked Kurosaki Ichigo.

But now, she was left with even more questions.

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_to be continued..._

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_A/N: Left with even more questions? *grin* Hehe.._

_So, here's the new chapter! I hope the suspense and the drama's built up enough for you... Oh, and thanks a lot to those who reviewed! I admit your reviews (especially those with only the words 'Update soon' on them) push me to write as soon as I can. A weekly update is enough, I hope? -_-_

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[reirathroiben. blackbutterfly .dethangeLx]

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Ƹ̵̡Ӝ̵̨̄Ʒ


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